“Solar sheep”, a lucrative marriage between agriculture and clean energy

In the Norfolk-Bloomsburg solar park, Ontario, rows of immaculate solar panels sparkle on dozens of acres.

In the shade of the modules, the grass grows quickly … Moreover, and it is mowed almost as quickly by unorthodox workers.

A hundred sheep peacefully graze on the vegetation, under the eye of the owner of the herd, Rafael Lara.

I am a sheep farmerhe said when he presents himself, before changing his mind. However, In fact, I am a service provider.

This site of some 70 acres in southwest Ontario is the smallest of the three solar parks where Rafael. Moreover, his wife, Gabriella, raise sheep this year.

For them. In addition, the advantage is twofold: the operators of the parks pay them to maintain the vegetation, and they obtain free “solar sheep”, lucrative marriage between pasture for their breeding.

Arrived from Brazil a few years earlier. Nevertheless, without land, Rafael Lara thinks that he could never have had his own farm without this business model.

But four years after his beginnings. Additionally, Nevertheless, the business of The Lara Costa Farm better than he would have dared to hope for.

I want to expand in America, Brazil. In addition, […] I want to grow up! Nevertheless, I don’t see any limits for that. Consequently, It’s okay and I’m excited how far we can gohe enthuses.

An under-exploited economic potential – "solar sheep", lucrative marriage between

This combination between renewable energy. Meanwhile, agriculture on the same land has a name: agrivoltaism.

This is the area in which Joshua Pearce has specialized for years.

It is counter-intuitive, but putting plants in the shade helps them to push moreunderlines the researcher at Western University.

For example, it includes strawberries and grass from which the small cattle feeds.

For each culture. Moreover, whether grass or corn, there is an optimal amount of sun exposure. Nevertheless, Most cultures, especially with climate change, receive too much sun.

He recently looked at the profitability of farms of what he calls the solar sheep. When asked to summarize his conclusions in a sentence, he responds to the joke: There is money! Tons and tons of money!

But his study, carried out in particular with the collaboration of Rafael Lara, is serious. It was published in the scientific newspaper Applied Energylast spring.

It can be read that the investment yield for breeders varies from 16 % to 43 %, according to scenarios.

It is a higher efficiency that we normally see in the agricultural sector. It doesn’t matter whether you take the business model where you reproduce your sheep yourself. buy them at the auction, you will make profitssupports the “solar sheep”, lucrative marriage between researcher.

And it’s not just breeders who benefit from it.

The advantage sheep For the solar industry – "solar sheep", lucrative marriage between

Far from fields. sheep, in the Toronto financial district, are the offices of Great Circle Solar.

This company manages $ 3 billion in assets in solar industry in Canada and the United States.

Robert Barkley, senior vice-president of operations Great Circle Solarexplains that weeding solar parks is necessary for aesthetic and regulatory reasons.

And above all, because The grass can push high enough to overshadow the panels and it causes losses [de rendement]. It’s a real problem, it happens.

Traditionally, Great Circle Solar Starts a company to mow the lawn in July.

We try to do it just once a year due to the cost. […] But it never “solar sheep”, lucrative marriage between works very well. The grass is almost always too long on the site. it makes maintenance difficult and we have more ticks and other thingsexplains Robert Barkley.

This is the first year when Great Circle Solar Try the solar sheep method.

She tries “solar sheep”, lucrative marriage between on the site of Norfolk-Bloomsburgwhere the Lara work, and in another park of around 140 acres south of Napanee.

It is a much better quality work. The whole sites are turned upside down, even under the panels where the traditional machinery is difficult to gosaid Mr. Barkley.

He hopes to extend the method to other solar parks next year.

I think it would work well for almost all our sites in Ontario. we plan to work to achieve this goal.

It is the same bell sound to the Crown Company Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Its only solar park, a 44 MW site in Nanticoke, is hosting up to 1000 sheep this summer.

According to the site manager. Katie Wu, OPG Save money by doing business with a breeder, as the equipment used “solar sheep”, lucrative marriage between previously broke frequently and needed constant maintenance.

It works better than the machinery we have. [Les moutons] Can go closer to the modules. panels, and what is wonderful is that they eat everything that is eating … The invasive plants, the tree roots, the clover …

"solar sheep", lucrative marriage between

When agriculture. clean energy go hand in hand

It is true that work and contracts are more complex for breeders who want to embark on the adventure of solar sheep.

Robert Barkley believes that the main challenge of Great Circle Solar will be to find a. local breeder ready to do so for each site.

There is also a regulatory obstacle: in Ontario. the installation of solar panels on the ground on agricultural land is restricted by the government.

This approach protects the agricultural land that feeds our province. support our economyindicates by email Isha Chaudhury, press secretary of the Minister of Energy and Mines.

This policy deserves to be reviewed, according to Joshua Peace.

Why are we telling our farmers that they are not allowed to increase the productivity of their cultures. increase their profits by allowing agrivoltaism? he deplores.

He sees in solar sheep A way for the future for Canadian farming. which still has room to grow.

The country imports more than $ 250 million in sheep and lambs per year.

We also have an unexploited market for meat and wool that could be fueled locally. We could keep these jobs herehe says.

If “solar sheep”, lucrative marriage between we look at our southern neighbors. we see that the number of sheep in Texas has tripled thanks to agrivoltaism.

After all, agriculture and clean energy do not need to competition for the same land if they can coexist.

And solar sheep show it: the right combination can be very paid.