Behind America’s Largest Solar Grazing Agreement

If you told me two years ago that I’d be spending my days discussing sheep breeding patterns and fielding calls from my kids asking for pictures of livestock, I would have laughed. But here I am, having just helped lead a solar grazing program that Fast Company named as one of its World Changing Ideas for 2025 – a recognition that still feels surreal for something that started as a small pilot in Minnesota back in 2017. 

As it turns out, we’re kind of in the sheep business. What began as a practical challenge managing vegetation across our Texas solar sites has become the largest solar grazing agreement announced in the United States, with over 13,000 sheep now working across eight solar facilities spanning 12,600 acres. That is more than 75% of the area of Manhattan.

The hidden challenge beneath the panels

Solar has experienced exponential growth in the last decade, but vegetation management is one of those unglamorous challenges that can seriously impact operations, budgets, and, of course, the land itself. We tried robot mowers, various seed mixes, and other mechanical solutions, but we kept hitting the same wall: equipment getting stuck, inconsistent results, mounting expenses, and no added sustainability benefits.

The breakthrough came when our site managers reached out to local vendors in their communities and found that most of the vegetation management companies in Texas were using sheep, the iconic symbols of pastoral life.

Turning an idea into an industrial solar solution

Sheep grazing wasn’t new for us. We had experience at our Aurora solar farm in Minnesota, where sheep delivered measurable soil health improvements. But Minnesota’s harsh winters meant sheep couldn’t stay year-round, creating seasonal logistics. The environment in Texas offers vegetation and temperatures that can sustain livestock throughout all seasons.

Leveraging our experiences in Minnesota, we skipped the pilot phase and committed fully to eight sites at once.

That might sound risky, but we’d learned enough from Aurora and our vendor meetings to feel confident. The partnership with Texas Solar Sheep was essential – and I have to give credit to our procurement team, especially Brooke Otis, who deserves recognition for getting this whole initiative from concept to signed contracts. Rather than trying to become agricultural experts ourselves, we found people who already understood both farming and the unique requirements of solar installations.

Becoming sheep (grazing) experts

The education curve has been steep. New innovations are always improving solar’s impact as a renewable energy source, but with this project I felt like I was also learning a veterinary curriculum. I now know which sheep breeds work best for solar grazing versus wool production, have learned about breeding patterns and flock management, and discovered that sheep are selective grazers who maintain vegetation while allowing native plants to flourish. And sheep aren’t the only animals that contribute to this project.

The guard dogs fascinated me from the start. Each array has one or two sheepdogs protecting flocks from coyotes and other threats. They’re not aggressive with our site teams but position themselves between us and their charges, quietly monitoring. 

We’ve also discovered an interesting constraint: There aren’t enough sheep to meet growing industry demand. Even with roughly 25% annual population growth, sheep can’t keep pace with solar companies’ interest in grazing.

Beyond the bottom line

What started as cost management has transformed how our sites look and function, making them even more environmentally friendly than solar alone. Instead of industrial power facilities with uniform mowing, visitors see green fields with flowers, pollinators, and sheep grazing peacefully among solar panels. Different vegetation levels create genuine agricultural activity alongside clean energy generation.

Environmental benefits extend beyond aesthetics. Our Minnesota data showed over 200% improvement in soil organic matter. We’re demonstrating that land can serve dual purposes – energy production and agriculture – which is the core promise of agrivoltaics.

Leading the flock

We feel it’s our responsibility to share what we’ve learned through industry training sessions. We’ve partnered with the American Solar Grazing Association to educate other solar companies about practical implementation – how site teams should interact with livestock, what to monitor, and how to coordinate maintenance with agricultural partners.

Environmental benefits and collective progress for our industry outweigh competitive concerns. When we prove that solar and agriculture can coexist successfully, everyone in renewable energy wins.

What’s next

The program has exceeded initial expectations while delivering environmental benefits we’re still documenting.

Conversations about additional power purchase agreements incorporating solar grazing suggest this approach resonates with customers valuing sustainable land use. The Fast Company recognition validates our suspicion that the best solutions often combine traditional wisdom with modern technology.

What excites me most is the scalability potential. This program proves renewable energy companies can think creatively about land use, cost management, and environmental stewardship simultaneously. When those elements align, you create solutions benefiting business, communities, and the planet.