How "solar grazing" is creating a new industry

[@kw9158]

I LOVE what the sheep farmer said: "We're producing FOOD, FIBER, and ENERGY, all from the same plot of land". This is exactly right and I think this is such a smart way to combine these industries into being even more productive and benefiting even more in the community.

[@frosty6960]

Yup, this is optimalization and multitasking. This is how we need to think about a lot of things

[@drinkingoutside7584]

Quiet down yall, the gov't loves making great ideas illeagal.

[@synocrat601]

Plus these could be done as cooperatives that are interconnected locally and drive out the big utilities and imported food. The lands could produce power, filter water, provide produce, recycle compostable materials, wood, fiber, animals, and decent jobs for communities.

[@himonstercartoons]

My grandfather is a sheep farmer, and he actually just signed the final paperwork to do the same on his property!

[@notthatguyduh]

That's awesome - congrats and thanks to him and the sheep

[@cooley987]

Congrats! 😊

[@mujkocka]

I am so thrilled that your family is participating to the solution!

[@martiruda]

thank your grandfather for helping decentralizing power.

[@matteomezzetti1]

@tomr6955 google has some straightforward answers to your question "Energy that is generated close to where it will be used, rather than at an industrial plant and sent through the national grid. Decentralised systems typically use renewable energy sources, including small hydro, combined heat and power (CHP), biomass, solar and wind power."

[@virginiamoss7045]

On top of the smarter uses, the panels also provide desperately needed shade for the animals in warmer areas than the northeast; they can also provide shelter from rain and hail. With global warming even up north will need that shade for livestock. They also didn't note two more benefits: the grasses can go to seed to reseed naturally and the animal poop provides all the fertilizer needed.

[@DTQueen90]

The additional benefit that I caught was that if this means farmers are moving their sheep, it means rotational grazing is occurring which is better for parasite burdens in the sheep and can decrease dependence on antiparasitic medications.

[@der_rechtsamwald]

I thought Global warming is communism 😂

[@xXJAng3lXxx]

@@DTQueen90 Plus sheep that are left in one pasture will eat the grass down to the root and doesn't grow back easily, rotating them this way is so much better for the land

[@Duncan_Campbell]

@@DTQueen90 Australia also found the quality of wool increased.

[@justinjeffries5807]

@@Duncan_CampbellWill you kindly link a citation? This is truly interesting, and for us non-farmers, the reason for this increase in wool quality is not apparent. Thanks.

[@jakemoeller7850]

Several years ago, I saw this scenario in Napa...sheep tending to the vegetation on a solar farm. It's such a smart move.

[@melonburst8563]

its the right mix of old and new tech

[@M.Campbell]

This is great. In India they are putting solar arrays over the irrigation canals and ditches. They shade the water, which cuts down on evaporation and all the land can still be used for crops. There are solutions.

[@juhajuntunen7866]

Really good solution, real win-win situation.

[@carylhalfwassen8555]

Until monsoon rains erode the structures?

[@M.Campbell]

@@carylhalfwassen8555 I'm sure they know how to build in areas of monsoon flooding. Wikipedia actually has an article on the project. Look for Canal Solar Power Project. It doesn't have the photos I originally saw, but they shouldn't be difficult to find. Edit: In looking for this info I see that California is doing the same thing.

[@gjsoriano1]

It great to see it is becoming more accepted and adopted. One of the reasons why they don't usually do these before is the added costs of building higher frames for the solar panels. Good thing they started investing in such set ups. This also lowers the cost of maintaining the landscape from overgrowing becoming a fire hazard and possibly blocks the solar panels.

[@sherlocksrobot1455]

I visited a mid-size solar array about 8 years ago where they were testing the concept. In that particular region near Austin, TX, it was difficult to use sheep because of how much water they require. To your point, they couldn't use goats because they instinctively hop up on the panels- which is very cute, but not great for the panels :) I'm glad to see a plethora of solutions available to make these feasible in different regions!

[@josephpadula2283]

Thanks for explaining why not goats ! Should have remembered goats like to jump up and raising the panels higher cost much more when building thousands of legs Holding them up.

[@HenryLoenwind]

@@josephpadula2283 Goats also eat everything, including the cables that connect the panels to each other. With sheep, you only need to protect the cables that go into ground conduits between the stands, as they could accidentally get to those when they're surrounded by grass.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

MUCH greener than using gas powered lawnmowers and string trimmers. I love it.

[@priestesslucy]

​@@josephpadula2283that, and goats aren't huge on grass. They prefer browsing over grazing

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

This is brilliant. My main concern with solar farms was taking away good farmland - if we can do both, then it's just a smarter way to go.

[@DavidNewmon]

I do think this is a good idea and I praise the people solving interesting problems with interesting solutions. I don't think this works with a cattle ranch or a farm growing anything but shade loving lettuces. The cows are more likely to damage the solar array, and a green bean simply won't grow in the shade. It's good but it doesn't work for everything.

[@boblatkey7160]

$1000 per acre. 😂

[@macmcleod1188]

@@DavidNewmon See, "Can crops grow better under solar panels? Here’s all you need to know about ‘agrivoltaic farming’' " Reduced water usage, improved crop quality, and protection from bad weather. See also, "Made in the Shade: The Promise of Farming with Solar Panels" and "Growing Crops Under Solar Panels? Now There’s a Bright Idea"

[@Leyogon]

Sadly as a farmer I can tell you this is green washing. Grass and pastures don't grow nearly as fast in most cases because they are shadowed out by the panels. In arid climates this is better but in prime productive farm ground this is a substantial negative impact on available forage. I would like to see solar on everyone's roof before this method is used as it raises the cost of feed for livestock which leads to higher prices in the grocery stores

[@KevinLyda]

@@Leyogon Oddly studies disagree. Plants can actually get too much sun - as can the ground in terms of keeping moisture. Even as far north as Germany they're seeing increased crop production and decreased water usage. It's important to note that solar panels do not capture all the light. They capture a lot, but some still makes it to the ground. In addition, they've seen that placing panels vertically so that they face east/west can still be effective at generating power and helping agricultural productivity. Which means an even smaller footprint on the land.

[@beyondfossil]

Yes, "agrivoltaics" or "agrisolar" basically multiplies the output of the land by producing electricity + crops + the livestock. Plus there's research showing some plants grow more in _quantity_ and _quality_ from some shade. Excess sun can stress out a plant which wastes water as the plant will pull more moisture up in an effort to avoid drying out. The soil around the plant also evaporates much faster without shade -- like dry within 2hrs without shade but still moist some 2 days later with shade.

[@HygienistDentist]

Perfectly said 🙌🏼

[@HygienistDentist]

Oh and increasing solar output by keeping the panels cooler 🤙🏼

[@gabrielbarrera1773]

what keeps them cooler? solar panels do not produce energy in the shade

[@Djunius1]

@@gabrielbarrera1773having them on ground mounts vs roof mounts keeps them cooler, as well as having greenery below absorbs extra sun vs reflecting it on the back of the panels like concrete pads would!

[@beyondfossil]

​@@gabrielbarrera1773 Good question. The panel cooling effect comes from multiple effects: (1) Agrivoltaic solar panels are mounted a bit higher than normal solar farms to accommodate the plants and farm machinery. So the panels are farther from the heat of the ground and also exposes them to more cooling wind breeze. (2) Evaporation from plants (evapotranspiration) releases moisture that can be seen as small droplets of water at the underside of panels (3) The ground under the panels are cooler from the presence of plants due to changes in reflectivity and shading from the plants themselves That panel cooling has a noticeable increase in power production of some 5%. Additionally, the greater panel mounting height allows bifacial solar panels (with solar cells on front and back side) to absorb more backside light.

[@terrylookabill8441]

I worked for Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon, as the farm coordinator. They built a 2 acre solar array on their Rock Creek campus in 2008, at the time, it was the largest solar array in Oregon. We managed the site with the flock of sheep that we kept on the campus. It worked out great. The solar panels provided shade for the sheep, and the shade also kept the grass greener longer into the summer. A win win for all.

[@Ding471]

oh yeah, please explain actual impact of these on the animal's? Please don't say there is not enough data if so that means it's another greed impact without actual understanding. You may have a Phd etc it means jack if the whole impact is not studied to begin with!

[@JarredSutherland]

@@Ding471 Why dont you explain it? Clearly you are in disagreement with the person you responded to .. so .. it's you who needs to provide the evidence you have.

[@gerrittlighthart]

@@Ding471 Photovoltaic panels emit very low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, which is not known to be harmful either directly or due to long-term risks like cancer. A hair dryer emits this kind of radiation. There is no harmful impact on the sheep, certainly not more harmful than being left in a pasture exposed to high temperatures without shelter or shade. These panels also don't release any toxins, so the sheep wouldn't be ingesting anything more dangerous than what's already in the rainwater. I'm not sure what kind of risks you think might be present, but I can't think of any.

[@bzdtemp]

@@Ding471 What impact on the animals? Vitamin D deficiency from to much shade, overweight from to much feed, the sheep having nightmares about big bad solar panels blocking the sun?

[@kaythegardener]

The solar panels seem to take up only about half the space in the firlds.

[@uweschroeder]

Not only is this a good use for land that usually is so poor that it can only be used for grazing, but it's also a way to finally get away from feedlot operations and back to pasture grazed animals. The problem in a lot of the warmer areas like California is that grass dies in summer due to too much sun and too little water. Solar panels shade the ground, leading to less evaporation and giving the plants a pause from the harsh sun. Small grazers like sheep or goats have always been a staple lifestock in poor barren areas of the world, now they can thrive on better vegetation. This is a much better use than wind farms which provide no such benefit. I'm pretty certain if solar generation companies offer the pasture for free there's going to be ranchers who will bring lifestock all while saving the company money on maintenance.

[@bzdtemp]

Actually there is little reason not to combine wind and solar, the little shade the wind turbines won't do much so if there is an area with good sun and wind, putting up both seems like a good option.

[@uweschroeder]

@@bzdtemp Bad idea. Having a turbine shade the panels, even as little as it seems it will be, will reduce the output by at least 10%, probably more. If you have a solar panel and you shade just one cell on the panel the output of that panel drops considerably depending on how it's wired. Having shade go over the panel every half second or so will essentially render it useless.

[@mehere8038]

If you look at how the Serengeti works, animals graze dead grasses during the dry season, eco-systems have evolved to provide food for grazers year round & in fact in natural systems, if not grazed in the dry, the grass must be burnt or the new growth can't get through the old stubble when the rains come. Mature grasses & their seeds retain nutritional value even when dead in the dry season. Livestock just need to be rotated through different paddocks & native grasses allowed to mature & naturally die off to provide food, as opposed to being constantly pruned, leaving no food in the dry season. This system works well for that rotational system & returning to Serengeti style grazing that is good for the land, as long as the panels are placed high enough for that. It's unlikely the panels would be enough to stop the die off in the dry, might reduce the time in die off, but shouldn't change it, only changing grass types would change that, but it's not good to be trying to grow grasses in the middle of dry summers anyway, better to just work with nature & grow when the water is there to grow, the way nature always has. Bison always grazed California in this way

[@uweschroeder]

@@mehere8038 I agree. The ludicrous idea that large grazers are detrimental to the environment is a complete and utter myth. The problem is feedlot operations, not grazing. There is a reason why the public lands are leased to ranchers for grazing - it's good for the land. We need to go back to grazing beef production - will be more expensive but better for the environment and better for us since the meat will be much more healthy.

[@mehere8038]

​@@uweschroeder yup, overall I completely agree, especially on the environmental myth (the water use one too), but stagnant paddock grazing is bad too. In Australia, historically there's always been "the long paddock" which is the grass beside country roads that belongs to no-one, that drovers have used for livestock & others historically have used on the way to slaughter as well, back before there were transport trucks that could handle the livestock alive on mass. It was always accepted fact that "the long paddock" was the best grazing in the country, that's because it was intermittently grazed & allowed to grow in between grazings. That is the efficient system that cares for the land. We need to get rid of BOTH feedlots AND stagnant grazing systems! As for cost, if you think about it, without subsidies, it's not possible for it to be more expensive! Just think about the impact of having the livestock harvest their own food that they would eat in feedlots & that becomes clear. So take a feedlot of 1000 cows & take the corn fields being used to feed those 1000 cows, divide that land into 100 paddocks & put all 1000 cows into one of them, the next day, open a gate & let them move into the paddock next door & close the gate behind them, bring in a tractor, plow it & plant another crop of corn. Next day, repeat, move the cattle into paddock 3 & replant paddock 2. Continue until day 100, then put the cattle back into paddock 1, which by now is a new, mature crop of corn, ready for harvest to take to the feedlot, or to have the cattle directly harvest themselves. That system can't be more expensive than feedlots where we have to harvest all that corn & transport it to the feedlots, then transport all the manure back out from the feedlots can it! Now if we want to get more efficient, we can also add chickens into that same system, we can set them up in trailers to sleep & nest in, we can leave paddock 1 for 2-3 days after the cattle leave it, so that maggots start to grow in the manure left behind, then we tow the trailer full of chickens into that paddock while they are asleep inside at night. In the morning, open the trailer & chickens come out & begin scratching around & eating the maggots & fallen seeds & adding their manure to the mix while loosening up the ground & making it better for planting. In the evening, chickens put themselves back to bed in the trailer & process is repeated, while they sleep, trailer is moved to the next paddock, following the cattle a few days behind them each move. Now to get even more efficient, instead of using corn, we use perennial crops. We can use sorghum if we want to keep the same level of food production per hectare, or if we want to start adding bees & improving the land & quality of meat further, we can switch to a mix of grasses. That can drop production a little below the corn levels, but not by that much & we've also now removed all the machinery & manpower of the planting & harvesting & spraying & fertilising, so a little less land efficient than the corn system, but actually much cheaper to run because of the cost reductions. There are actually farmers out there running huge herds & getting the same daily weight gain as feedlots, but eating grass in these systems. The reductions in parasites & stress contributes to the increased weight gain, that makes up for the reduction in switching from grain to grass. These rotational systems are proven to be able to feed 4 times the number of animals that stagnant grazing systems do, because of how much more efficent it is to feed animals on more mature grasses, instead of having them taking lots of tiny bites of young grasses. Additional option too, instead of the chickens, dung beetles can be introduced to naturalise, they tend to hitch a ride on the livestock from paddock to paddock & they bury the dung into the soil, therefore putting all the carbon from the grass into the ground, therefore making the process carbon negative & sequestering lots of carbon into the world's soils, where it was removed from when coal was dug up & therefore where we need to get it back to. Carbon also holds 70 times it's weight in water, therefore having lots of carbon in the ground reduces floods & then releases that carbon to plant roots during droughts, therefore reducing them too Properly managed grazing & bio-char at mass scale are the 2 realistic options to reverse climate change! The ONLY 2 realistic options I've seen to date

[@00bikeboy]

We need more sustainable solutions like this.

[@jmatt98]

And less sustainable solutions like lab grown meat

[@landysok90]

Meanwhile I'm reading this comment eating bacon for breakfast

[@gennaterra]

@@jmatt98 Meat doesn't grow in a lab. Meat was used HUNTED by our African ancestors that GREW THEIR BRAIN enough to migrate towards Europe... so thank your meat eating ancestors for your brain to think! Yeah... thats VEGAN!

[@oldmech619]

Every year or so the News is acting like sheep grazing is a new! Is the MSM that desperate for some good feeling news article every year?

[@jim2lane]

@@landysok90 who ever said bacon isn't sustainable?

[@organizedchaos4559]

Put solar panels in parking lots please, I can use some shade

[@Slips85]

Costco does this at one of their locations nearby

[@Whitemink32]

That’s a great idea 💡

[@-whackd]

And protection from rain

[@MikeYoungeasytravel]

This is already happening in Europe!

[@mytinu]

Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, CA has such a parking lot

[@PObermanns]

Here in Germany, we've seen the exact same thing for over a decade. Huge flocks of sheep are hired by landowners to clear the ground - not just for solar but for other projects. Hundreds of sheep. This works.

[@hikintrailsndrinkinales]

Amazing news piece! I really hope it spreads far and wide. Old school and new school moving forward hand in hand.

[@jimmylam9846]

Nothing new ! China solar farmers have been doing it for some time now raising 1000 sheep or goats for twin incomes.

[@jdillon8360]

Great idea. Hope to see more of this in Australia. What they didn't mention in this clip is that the panels also provide shade for both the animals and the vegetation. In a country with extremely strong sunshine like Australia, (and the southern states of the USA) this is a win-win.

[@debdfw7720]

Smart. Thinking outside the box to solve a problem, good for everyone.

[@xenuno]

Is it? Looks like sight pollution to me .. low density erratic generation of power. Likely heavily subsidized. Definitely not very green at any point starting, from the manufacturing to its demise in a landfill

[@iwantabetterworld2773]

@@xenuno Hi Xenuno, I agree with your point of view. But, we have no choice. The entire world must live in harmony with the land. If we do not, it will be the demise of the world. I want a Better World. We can do it, if we are smart.

[@gillisBR549]

@@xenuno , key word(s) heavily subsidized !!

[@stevenha5344]

​@xenuno not like farmers aren't already heavily subsidized by the government, a one time investment for multiple years of pay off

[@jim2lane]

@@xenuno and the alternative is? Continuing to burn non-replenishable fossil fuels during which giga-tons of carbon are released into the atmosphere every year? That's preferable why?

[@robdavidson4945]

In Europe, Germany and Netherlands I believe, solar arrays are built high enough for farm equipment and farm crops farming and grazing operations can continue. If I understand the situation they are still able maintain the solar panels without difficulty. This is an important point, it needs to work for both the power company and Agriculture.

[@timp1293]

Combing solar farm and agriculture could even transform arid lands or deserts into green oasis by providing shades to the plants and reducing water usage. This is especially true in California and southwest states with a lot of sunlight and dry climate. It’s win win win combination.

[@cbpd89]

And with all the sun we get in the southwest, solar is very productive here. Giving the shade and cooling for the plants would save water by reducing evaporation would also be a good benefit!

[@marley7659]

Well the main problem with california and water is not just lack of rain. It’s also cause of animal agriculture. Dairy cows and the sheer number of crops farmed for livestock. Uses up all the water. Its also the driving force for deforestation in other parts of the world.

[@Gnarmarmilla]

Thank you for looking into this, CBS. The public benefits from your work when it is intelligent and well informed. May God bless you all

[@justayoutuber1906]

Republicans say God hates solar

[@kathysterndahl3134]

I saw a lot of this in England about five years ago. I thought it was a wonderful idea!

[@ziziroberts8041]

Great. Now let's go, permaculture. Let's go, government regulations to protect WATER.

[@cdjhyoung]

I live in a rural area that have many people actively working against solar farms and wind mill installations. The basic 'not in my back yard' mind set. One of the big arguments used is that farm land is lost to its most valuable use. This belies this argument. There are not many sheep raised around here, but that is only because the market hasn't been fully exploited yet. This will be a good tool for the solar energy companies around me to argue permits they need to proceed.

[@BaritoneIrishman]

Not a baaaaad idea at all.

[@notthatguyduh]

I woolheartedly agree

[@SolarFarmSummit]

See what ewe did there!

[@stevejohnstonbaugh9171]

I've known of the idea for quite a few years now. In the Pennsylvania/Ohio region we have a native seed company (Ernst seeds) that blends a wildflower mix that stays low to the ground. Ideal for pollinators. Of course, this meadow mix can also be grazed. Goats are really great for this work too. The demand for goat milk in the northeast is growing as the interest in the specialty cheese market grows.

[@tylerwestover234]

Goat would be no good unless the panels are up high. Goats climb everything.

[@stevejohnstonbaugh9171]

@@tylerwestover234 depends on the breed of goat.

[@carylhalfwassen8555]

But goats are climbers so the solar structures have to take that into account. Taller structures needed with no opportunity to climb on top.

[@tylerwestover234]

@@stevejohnstonbaugh9171 All goats climb extensively to play and look for more things to graze. I agree goats are in higher demand but they wouldn't be a good fit for this kind of operation.

[@windyhawthorn7387]

Yep Native American Seed has a wildflower/grass mix for solar panels as well. Up here in Texas we have a lot of solar panels. I drive past one that is next to a woodland that is raising deer.

[@SpiritProf]

This type of action should be subsidized to create more incentive. Way more effective than sponsoring corn production, imho.

[@GuillermoNarvaez]

in some areas of the country, like Minnesota, adding solar can create income year round on land that is not producing during the winter (some of our sunnied day are in February, while the days are not as long as the summer, what we generate in the winter is still considerable).

[@bossaudio12]

Kinda

[@kiha6702]

Lambscaping 🐑🐑 I love it!!!👍

[@barowt]

Two more beneficial points not mentioned in the newscast.. the large amounts of shade provided by the solar panels would reduce the temperature of the ground, preventing some evaporation letting the soil hold water longer, and it would create a great windbreak, preventing soil erosion blowing in the wind. This is a great way to prevent a Dust Bowl from happening again..

[@YellowRambler]

It’s amazing how long it takes for the penny to drop, now if they build the solar panels to accommodate larger farm and ranch live stock as well as small tractors you really got something there.👍

[@ashoakwillow]

This really works well in dry or semi-arid areas where the shade can allow plants to develop. If you can do that at scale then its possible to get the water cycle working again; evaporation, clouds, rain, soil health, more vegetation. Humans have made deserts, through over-grazing and over-tillage, so its within our power to reverse the damage.

[@PeterSedesse]

Ranchers in Texas are putting in wind turbines, and the cattle align themselves in the shade, it is like a marching band creating a wind turbine.

[@iamawesomesauce68]

This is really cool. I would love to see more of this happening.

[@JohnSmith-il7jn]

Excellent idea! This is a win-win for man and sheep!

[@Chris.starfleet]

It's a relief to see that humans can come up with some good ideas once in a while.

[@daniellongsworth4484]

This is quite fascinating and inspiring.

[@qri3522]

First century solution to a 21st century problem. A Good Shepherd was always the answer.

[@Wesley_H]

My father in law was telling me about a group of cattle farmers that were about to file a lawsuit against an energy company whose solar farm was allowing an invasive species of noxious weed to grow out of control. The cows in an adjacent pasture wouldn’t go within a mile of it, which in turn allowed the weeds to grow unhindered in the pasture as the seeds were carried over by the wind. Then they brought in a herd of goats to manage the weeds in both the solar farm and the pasture. Now the cows are happy and the farmers aren’t so keen to sue.

[@ellasmommy9278]

This is such an elegant solution to marry the past and the future. I love it

[@kittimcconnell2633]

Best of both worlds! Getting a 2-for-1 use out of each acre. Right on!

[@kensmith5694]

Yes, this makes a lot of sense. Plants growing under the panels make for a lower temperature vs something like a parking lot under them. Solar works better when cool. In very hot places the temperature around mid day can get above 45C where chlorophyll quits working. The shade from the solar panels can lower the temperature meaning that the plants will grow faster with them than without.

[@Mububban23]

There is just zero downside to all of this. Love it

[@sherryberry2394]

Please give us more of this type news. It gives encouragement of the future.❤

[@jonathonterrell2329]

This type of stuff gives me hope. Actually hoping to start a solar farm in rural Alabama. Got an old cattle farm in need of upgrades!

[@dodgygoose3054]

In Australia co farming has been tested for years, it's been found that the sheep are healthier & the fleece cleaner and selling for a higher price, it's a win, win, win, win.

[@tofu_golem]

For those who don't know: those plants under the panels are important, and they need to be within a certain height to help keep the panels cool, which improves efficiency.

[@reidhansen7030]

Dont forget the fact that....who eats mutton? I dont cant stand it. We would need alot more foriegners to make that argument.

[@Noah-ws8ho]

@@reidhansen7030 ...orrrr you can just exporrt it. The meat industry is already global. Canada exports most of its pork to China.

[@MeBeingAble]

In new zealand they have vineyards, at certain points a wind turbine, & at the base of the vines, the sheep graze. I think its an amazingly smart use of space

[@bernob9770]

WOW, this is great idea!

[@JoeyBlogs007]

Could also improve the land by offering shade.

[@MikeCarterInc]

Love this! Doing our part to advocate for solar grazing north of the border at Agrivoltaics Canada!

[@jorenbosmans8065]

I love this idea. It is so simple that it is brilliant. Hopefully this will be expanded soon

[@mbern4530]

That seems like a great use of land. Now let's get started on covering parking lots with solar panels, they would keep cars cool and could generate power on land that is basically worthless at the moment.

[@tribaltrees6765]

A great idea. But one issue that arises when not done correctly is the spread of invasive species from one property to another if the animals aren’t quarantined after.

[@smrk2452]

I LOVE THIS! Please tell us more ❤

[@tommycollier9172]

I'm blown away, WIN, WIN, WIN.

[@HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle]

Seeing farm animals with net zero carbon emitting energy producing technologies is such a positive solar punk moment.

[@thornbottle]

this is actually perfect for sheep farming. Grass doesnt like being in sun all day, some shade benefits its grwoth and lowers evaporation. Sheep also love sitting in shade. its a mutual benefit and all sheep farming fields should have this setup, its a no brainer

[@Awol991]

You can even do crops under the solar panels. Crops that are shade tolerant or even like shade over full sun can be grown under the panels. It just takes planning to dual use the ground. Some plants like the shade better than full sun and actually are more productive under the panels than in full sun.

[@mohamedkabha8838]

Hello Can you list those plants? Thank you

[@Awol991]

@@mohamedkabha8838 search on "shade tolerant crops under solar panels" and look at all the reports. Peppers, tomatoes, berries. "In fact, total chiltepin fruit production was three times greater under the PV panels in an agrivoltaic system, and tomato production was twice as great!"

[@RaymondRChammas]

Bless him.

[@aris1869]

This is the kinda thing our descendants are gonna study for their eighth grade history exams

[@andretemplet2578]

Less than 200,000 cars??? that’s nothing. That’s like getting rib off Lubbock Texas. What tf is that gonna do?

[@Comicsluvr]

Talk about efficient use of space! This is awesome!

[@ginmar8134]

This is perfect. Old and new working together.

[@c0mputer]

I find it funny how CBS wanted the shepherd to have the sheep run around and be hearded by the dog on camera for no reason.

[@CViewer70]

What a great, outside-the-box solution. Great when people try to find Win-Win solutions…but at the end of the report, did anyone notice the body language the reporter’s studio colleague? I was super excited about the story, but then I was shocked by how closed her body posture was at the end of the story. Even her legs were crossed😮

[@mlindsay527]

Stacking functions, nice. Now we just need to make our cars, houses, # of children and waistlines smaller so we don’t consume the entire planet.

[@hornetscales8274]

Plenty of shade, and free lawn care and rain shelter. Oh, and power too. That's a good method.

[@Episode8wasgarbage]

Buddy of mine has 900 acres that the whole family farmed. He said their best years they would make 130-140k after expenses (split among 3 brothers who had other jobs). They just singed a 20 years lease for over 20 million dollars to turn it into solar. They will make 8x their yearly profit and do zero work lol.

[@gillisBR549]

Good for them,… and Gates, and others like him can grow the food that’s best for all humans, and CONTROL all that food as well.. we grow more dependent on the “man”

[@reidhansen7030]

I know of no sheep farmer that owns 900 acres. And what about the deception that solar is cost effective. It sounds like a get rich off others mistakes. How bout looking into the governments stolen or hidden patends first instead of making money before the truth is revealed.

[@FynnOliverEmonSill]

There's some of this down in Texas too.

[@TheHonestPeanut]

We would LOVE to do this on our property in Western MA. We've got 6 acres cleared that I have to keep cut and brush hogged. We run chickens and want to add pigs and sheep. Having added revenue from leasing the land AND helping green our grid would be ideal. Plus folks out here complain about NG and installers clear cutting forest to put in acreage PV. Come talk to farmers out here! It's already cleared!

[@JacquelinElizabethWrites]

Plus those panels give those sheep and the dog some much needed shade in these toasty times.

[@pauldannelachica2388]

Very cool add battery storage

[@antessawalters3595]

I saw this in France and Germany some years ago for sheep and crops. I thought it was a brilliant idea.

[@saram8102]

Love seeing creative solutions like this!

[@JBoy340a]

Nice. In our area sheep are used to reduce the dry grass on hills during the spring through fall. This reduce the fire hazard as the area dries out.

[@natasha09179]

They probably love the shade too. So cute.

[@AJ-ev3hj]

Hopefully this is the beginning of the solar punk future

[@Someaddress555s]

Green tech will lead to all sorts of mirco industries growing or other industries finding benefits like grazing areas between solar or wind installations. It's happening either way, might as well jump in and make money from it while the barrier to entry is so low.

[@Officialdonsam]

This is very creative and sustainable!

[@c.t.murray3632]

What an excellent idea

[@bartholomattspidermonk4755]

We been doing this for a few years - newslady: keeps the farm going for generations

[@roxannsnyder1351]

This is wonderful!

[@ZerebusPrime]

My thought was: "what happens when the cows get in the habit of using the panel supports as back scratchers?" because as silly as it sounds that will happen. But it looks like the supports used around cattle are larger and stronger than the scaffolds used around sheep and goats so I guess someone's already got this covered. I'd still be worried about the animals persistently knocking, digging, and headbutting important electrical connections, though. Never underestimate the obstinance of a goat.

[@kevinmanan1304]

it's like cats. you should place more scratch posts. You realize they prefer the *real* posts & are just lazy to get back to said post.

[@Nirrrina]

They also probably inspect things regularly.

[@spacelemur7955]

I am glad to see some dual usage. One of my initial hesitations over this style of panel placement was that it takes arable land out of production. I still prefer crops over critters for efficiency reasons, but this is better than spending yet more carbon fuel to mow, and the sheep will happily reach nooks and crannies.

[@carylhalfwassen8555]

This works well on less productive soils and regions.

[@spacelemur7955]

@@carylhalfwassen8555 What I would love to see are those tens of thousands of America's E-W, wide-bermed highways lined with double- or tripple-high panels where the distance to the traffic is safe.

[@NA12495]

Go to Europe, they have been doing it for a long time. At least 15 years (that I have seen), was there before I visited.

[@Vaan362]

This is such a creative way to use space, animals, and of course green energy!!

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

sometimes modern problems require ancient solutions

[@thomasbordelon4149]

We just got informed today the farm across the road from us is going industrial solar. I am sad to know that this will be the last harvest, and that our open views half of the year will be ruined permanently all year round now. I’ve always called my home "the little cabin down by the deer corn field”. That ends now and it’s sad. However life rocks on and I’m not going to be some bleeding heart whiner about it. At least our view won’t be a housing project or a strip mall. I only hope someone puts livestock inside the fences too. The complaints I’m seeing on KZbin about solar farms going in on adjacent properties are all valid. It’s an individuals right to have a voice about it. But I like knowing the owners of their (deer corn) property can move forward as they see fit. That too, is THEIR right. Thanks for the many years of a great view, I wish you well.

[@jayuppercase3398]

The panels provide shade during summer and shelter during winter

[@frednewman2162]

How much does it add to the cost to truck them to those areas though?

[@CocoShade]

We need this in the Czech Republic more

[@barbarawang3665]

I absolutely love this!!

[@cwolf8841]

I’d think power line ROW would be another application. And dam berms. BMP shorelines. Not sure about vineyards

[@markissboi3583]

1970s when i was a lad i helped drove 2,500 head sheep on a 17.5 hand horse was about 150miles to the next farm for feed more grass. you can have that on yah own they got thru every broken fence & went down railway tracks i wudve rather drove cattle

[@johnparker2181]

This has been around for decades its good to see more people doing it. Basically every business that's surrounded with land In the Netherlands uses sheep to control the vegetation growth

[@papayuki3590]

i think it would be so much better to have every house have some solar panels on the roof as that would lessen the environmental damage to clear and so on open land just for them and thus would also lessen the need for more power plants as the plant would be on the house.

[@calamityjean1525]

There's no reason we can't have both solar farms and rooftop solar panels. It's urgent that the world switch to renewable energy ASAP. I'd like to see parking lots roofed over with solar panels also. (Google "solar carport".)

[@robertvezse1234]

This is brilliant I love it

[@808zhu]

Finally, something that USEFUL

[@bthsr7113]

This is good. We need more of it.

[@sparkysmalarkey]

Some random in the comment section tried to convince me plants cannot grow near solar panels, this new industry definitely proves them wrong.

[@Celeste-in-Oz]

The shade & shelter will help livestock be healthier & happier too.