By The European Times | Created at 2026-07-20 08:41:36 | Updated at 2026-08-04 01:59:16
2 weeks ago
Volkswagen has introduced an unusual, but highly effective, method for maintaining its solar park in Poznan, Poland – a flock of 100 sheep to graze beneath its thousands of solar panels. The initiative is part of a growing trend for agrovoltaics, which combines farming with renewable energy production, proving that the same land can serve multiple purposes at once.
The animals maintain the grasslands, contribute to scientific research and increase biodiversity, Electrek reports.
Ecological Maintenance: Sheep Instead of Machines
Instead of relying on mechanical mowers, Volkswagen is now using 100 sheep to naturally maintain the grass growing beneath its more than 31,000 solar panels. The solar farm provides clean electricity for the company’s production plant in Poznań, where it builds cars, including the VW e-Crafter electric van.
The sheep will remain on site until autumn under the care of experienced livestock keepers. Their grazing prevents overgrowth of vegetation without the noise, fuel consumption and emissions associated with traditional mowing. According to the owner of the flock, Justyna Nowak-Gajek, the animals have quickly adapted to their new environment.
“We can clearly see that the flock feels safe – the sheep naturally divide into smaller groups and graze peacefully in different parts of the solar farm. This is the best proof that they have adapted well to these conditions, because a flock that feels threatened always stays together,” she says.
More than energy: Agrovoltaics and biodiversity project
While grazing sheep under solar panels is becoming increasingly popular in countries like the US and UK, Volkswagen’s project in Poland stands out as one of the most advanced industrial agrovoltaics initiatives in Europe. That’s because it combines commercial activity with large-scale scientific research.
The project is being carried out in partnership with the University of Life Sciences in Poznań. In addition to maintaining the grass, it also creates a healthier environment for insects and other wildlife, making the solar farm more than just a place to produce energy.
Scientific research at the solar farm
Researchers from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań are investigating several key aspects of the project to better understand the interaction between renewable energy and agriculture. Their observations could help design future solar parks that support both clean energy production and agriculture.
The main areas of research include:
• Animal welfare and adaptation.
• Changes in the biodiversity of the local ecosystem.
• Soil quality and plant growth.
• The impact of the microclimate around the solar panels.
Dr. Joanna Skladakovska-Bariza from the Department of Animal Husbandry explains that the shade from the panels can reduce heat stress in animals, and the comprehensive analysis will help to effectively integrate the two sectors.
The 18.3 megawatt solar farm was built and operated by Berlin-based company Quanta Energy. On sunny days, it can cover the factory’s entire consumption, and on an annual basis provides about 25% of its electricity needs.
As recently as a year and a half ago, as U.S. farmers struggled with mounting debt and falling incomes, some farmers were swapping their tractors for flocks of sheep and offering to graze solar farms to make ends meet. Raising sheep to service solar farms is one way farmers are trying to diversify their incomes as the multi-year decline in U.S. agriculture has hit producers particularly hard, economists told Reuters.
That could mean running their farms for a profit, rather than taking on extra work in the city to pay bills or do something else.
Sheep grazed more than 129,000 acres of solar-powered sites last October, up from 15,000 acres in 2021, according to the American Solar Grazing Association.
The number of sheep used in such facilities jumped from 80,000 to more than 113,000 between January and October 2024.
That’s a small fraction of the country’s more than 5.05 million sheep and lambs, but the new business opportunity has helped herds grow for the first time since 2016, said Piers Orwick, executive director of the American Sheep Industry Association.
The U.S. solar industry grew during Donald Trump’s first term, and its development has accelerated since the passage of a law in 2022 to provide subsidies for new clean energy projects under former President Joe Biden, said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. The sector is expected to continue growing during Trump’s second term, she said.
In a statement to Reuters, the House deputy press secretary said:
“Ultimately, President Trump will cut programs that do not serve the American people and preserve programs that put America first.”
In Indiana and Illinois, the solar farm boom has attracted young people who want to get into farming but without taking on millions of dollars in debt to lease land and machinery, industry analysts said.
In Virginia, Marcus and Jess Gray are putting their dreams of growing crops on the back burner after securing lucrative contracts with Dominion Energy and Urban Grid. They now graze their flock of 900 sheep on 4,000 acres where solar panels are being built.
Using sheep to clear native vegetation could mean significant savings once a project is up and running.
The initial capital costs can be higher depending on the project site, says Reagan Farr, CEO of the Tennessee solar farm Silicon Ranch.
Some sites require digging water wells or building more complex fencing systems, he says.
However, the company saves about 20 percent of its operating costs once the site is up and running by using managed grazing, Farr says.
“The bills come in when you’re not transporting a flock of sheep across the country or water tankers. It’s much easier and less expensive to pay our herders a salary than to hire someone to work a mower 10 hours a day.”
The demand for sheep for grazing by solar farms has led Silicon Ranch, in which Shell has a stake, to start its own sheep breeding program in Georgia.
Illustrative photo: pexels-marie-francoise-bastien-1479969797-29449085
