Around 50 sheep work for Volkswagen’s solar farm in US

MANILA: A herd of around 50 sheep is now part of the workforce of the Volkswagen Chattanooga factory in USA. These non-human workers play an important role in the plant’s solar operations.

The solar park in Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant, which opened in 2013, is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. The 9.5-megawatt solar system delivers up to 12.5% of the plant’s power needs at full production, with 33,600 solar modules distributed over 33 acres next to the factory.

Nashville-based Silicon Ranch Corp. maintains the Volkswagen solar farm as well as other regenerative energy projects across the US. The company now uses around 6,000 of its 11,000 acres nationwide as grazing space for sheep, which it refers to as “regenerative management.”

In a statement, Silicon Ranch Regenerative Energy Project Manager Loran Shallenberger explained, “Adaptive grazing with sheep is an efficient and cost-effective way to control vegetation and minimize erosion risks on utility scale solar facilities. The sheep keep the grasses low via grazing and trampling and the solar panels provide sheep with shade, minimizing heat stress in the height of summer. Regeneratively grazing sheep can help provide important ecological benefits, as well as a secondary and stable source of income for our farming partner.”

Erosion can be a concern for solar farms, and having a thick layer of ground cover is essential. About 50 sheep graze on the grass in Chattanooga while fertilizing the soil at the same time, and unlike typical mowers, sheep are able to get in hard-to-reach areas to keep the grass neatly maintained.

The sheep travel over the solar farm’s four separate land tracks to guarantee that grass can regenerate and the land is not overused. The sheep are hard workers who graze on grass every day of the year in all kinds of weather. Silicon Ranch Corp. uses “rescue” donkeys to alert the sheep to any harmful wildlife, and help to keep the sheep secure.

“The solar park is another proof point of Volkswagen’s worldwide commitment to environmental protection. Knowing that we are producing renewable energy maintained by more sustainable solutions like sheep makes this initiative an example for other large factories in the United States,” Volkswagen Chattanooga Operations Chief Executive Tom du Plessis stated.

Sheep are an efficient lawn-mowing alternative that do less harm than goats, which are known for jumping on solar panels and biting through cables. The way sheep graze gives the grass they nibble a consistent look and provides a more sustainable solution than gas-powered mowers and clippers.

In 2011, the solar farm helped Volkswagen Chattanooga get its first Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The facility is a key part of Volkswagen’s goal to become carbon-neutral through electrification, which includes adopting of natural maintenance solution.

Photos from Volkswagen

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