solar panels + sheep

I tripped over this news report:


Essentially, a fellow formed a company that sells the service of "sheep + dog + man" to manage the grass/forbs under large solar farms. They claimed it was all win/win, but in my eco-system, I immediately wondered what the effect of the panels would be on water distribution and infiltration. The partial shade from the panels has been shown in several ecosystems to actually be an asset to people farming underneath.

I think there is some concern about parts of the electrical side of things needing to be well shielded to protect the animal's health.

Could this fit with permie "stacking functions" - at least the sheep are displacing fossil fuel based plant management, although you'd think they'd use battery operated equipment as much as possible!

Solar was trying to move into about 10,000 acres all around us.  We were one of the only ones to opt out. It looks like it's not going to move forward, thankfully.  I have a lot to say about it, but I'm going to keep this short for now.

6 of the biggest factors in my opposition:
Temperatures rise around big solar.
Ground infiltration is impeded.
De-incentivizes land-owners from staying, especially generationally.
Impact on land at install is considerable.
Despite contract, end-of-life removal and remediation is problematic and questionable.
40-year-contracts are always suspect.

That said, if I wasn't able to stop it from moving forward, I would have pushed for running sheep through it.  Free fencing and grass are nothing to scoff at.  Though I do wonder about the emf exposure to the animals, and resulting issues in their milk/meat, if they go that route.

I don't think all those claims necessarily stack up.

How do temperatures rise around PV installations? They shade the ground and are high enough so that any convective effects are going to be well off the surface. I've seen data that support claims of local cooling provided by panels over pasture through the reduction in sunlight hitting the ground. This is an easy experiment...go to a parking area that has a canopy cover, and take air temperature readings under and over the roof.

How is water infiltration impeded? Again, I would expect improved rainfall absorption in the shaded area, since the soil is not being baked by direct sunlight.

A local multi-generation dairy farm near me is eager to have a solar installation because of the royalties they will get from the contract plus the benefits mentioned above. They see more positives than negatives and the whole family is on board with it.

Impacts of installation can be mitigated by using the right equipment and staying off the ground when it's wet. This is an operational issue and can be spelled out in a contract. Same goes for EOL and removal...get it in writing and if it's not to your satisfaction then don't sign and walk away.

Jay, I am planning on utilizing agrovoltaics on my land. There is a definite benefit to the shade in the desert climate, and I should be able to direct the water run off to swales.

Phil Stevens wrote:I don't think all those claims necessarily stack up.

A local multi-generation dairy farm near me is eager to have a solar installation because of the royalties they will get from the contract plus the benefits mentioned above. They see more positives than negatives and the whole family is on board with it.

Ooof. that's concerning. Cows are notoriously sensitive to electricity. Too much exposure to it has actually been known to stop milk production and cause miscarriages from what I was reading. Let me see if I can find it....

https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(85)80994-2/pdf#:~:text=The%20effect%20of%20a%20specific,the%20pathway%20current%20sensitivity%3B%203)

I don't know why the whole link isn't populating, but it works if you copy/paste.

That article talks about stray voltage leaking to ground, which is more of a problem with poorly implemented electric fencing systems or faulty wiring in milking sheds. A utility-scale PV installation will always avoid stuff like this in the design, because any voltage showing up where it doesn't belong is going to have a direct and measurable effect on both the safety and profitability of the system. Installers get certified to do this kind of work and there are consequences if they screw up.

I guess a problem could arise if there is a post where the cows like to scratch and over time they expose a connector. But really, that is something that any company deploying solar in a grazing context would understand and mitigate the risk.

Some research on silvopasture has shown that even though grass growth is slightly reduced by (tree) shade, the animals experience less heat stress, and therefore perform better, enough to offset the reduced grass production.  

Of course, this all depends on the level of canopy cover.  

I’m sure studies are currently being done on the yields possible from under solar panels.  It should’t take too long for these to come out.  Once they do, we might find that it is worth installing panels at less than maximum density in order to optimize the crop underneath and provide the maximum return.

Gray Henon wrote: ...I’m sure studies are currently being done on the yields possible from under solar panels.  It shouldn't take too long for these to come out.  Once they do, we might find that it is worth installing panels at less than maximum density in order to optimize the crop underneath and provide the maximum return.

I always worry about that "provide maximum return" mindset! Beau mentioned 10,000 acre project proposed and that's totally not "permaculture scale" - but "monoculture scale" - and you'd think humans would have learned by now what a bad idea that usually turns out to be (Pine Beetle - you took advantage of human "monoculture" mindset, and now my province is burning to the ground!)

I have read in a few places about solar panels cooling the ground in a way that improves food growing options, but I don't know how niche that factor is, or how it affects the weather and climate on the larger scale. We're essentially turning the sun's energy into electricity in one location, only to use it elsewhere. Energy can't be created or destroyed, it just changes form???  We're on our third heat wave this summer, but will solar farms over-all, or even locally, make the weather better or worse.

Similarly, will these farms be built to withstand the bigger storms we're seeing? I was just reading about a meteorologist's opinion that my neighboring province will likely be seeing an increase of hail storms over the next 30 years. We're already seeing more wind storms. Will these solar farms be designed to truly cope with what Mother Nature will throw at them?

I mean sooner or later they’ll just switch to tougher glass that won’t shatter. Seems to me there’s already a lot of that glass in use and it’s continuing to be developed.

Solar isn’t perfect but it’s considered perhaps the most benign source of electricity.  And people aren’t going to stop using electricity, so it seems we just got to do the best we can with it.

I think we’re lucky that dual use even works at all. There’s actually a surprising amount of synergy in agrivoltaics. Is it perfect? no.  Can it and should it continue to be improved?  Yes, of course.  Remember, people aren’t going to stop using electricity.  People aren’t going to stop eating either.  And in high density areas, land is precious. Given all this, in my opinion it’s not so bad of an idea.

Jay Angler wrote:

Gray Henon wrote: ...I’m sure studies are currently being done on the yields possible from under solar panels.  It shouldn't take too long for these to come out.  Once they do, we might find that it is worth installing panels at less than maximum density in order to optimize the crop underneath and provide the maximum return.

I always worry about that "provide maximum return" mindset! Beau mentioned 10,000 acre project proposed and that's totally not "permaculture scale" - but "monoculture scale" - and you'd think humans would have learned by now what a bad idea that usually turns out to be (Pine Beetle - you took advantage of human "monoculture" mindset, and now my province is burning to the ground!)

I have read in a few places about solar panels cooling the ground in a way that improves food growing options, but I don't know how niche that factor is, or how it affects the weather and climate on the larger scale. We're essentially turning the sun's energy into electricity in one location, only to use it elsewhere. Energy can't be created or destroyed, it just changes form???  We're on our third heat wave this summer, but will solar farms over-all, or even locally, make the weather better or worse.

Similarly, will these farms be built to withstand the bigger storms we're seeing? I was just reading about a meteorologist's opinion that my neighboring province will likely be seeing an increase of hail storms over the next 30 years. We're already seeing more wind storms. Will these solar farms be designed to truly cope with what Mother Nature will throw at them?

Agreed.  Externalities always pop up when we go big on anything.  Still lots to learn, no silver bullets out there.