On the solar farm the sheep graze in the shade of the photovoltaics
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Workers on a solar farm in Kosovo have found a greener and more efficient way to mow the grass around their solar panels: a flock of sheep. More than 100 sheep, and some goats, graze twice a week at the Rogane solar parknear the small town of Kamenica in eastern Kosovo, where more than 12,000 photovoltaic panels.
“The workers realized that mowing the fields was very difficult, so they asked me to bring my sheep,” he says Rexhep Rrudhani, a 72-year-old shepherd, commanding his sheepdogs to lead the flock to graze under the panels. “The sheep here eat all kinds of grass, good and bad, and clean everything up. We all benefit from that.”
Kosovo has between 12 and 14 billion tons of proven reserves of low quality lignite (generally low specific energy, due to the high humidity and/or ash content, with higher polluting emissions), the fifth largest reservoir in the world. More than 90% of its electricity is produced from coal and the rest comes from renewable energy, mainly wind and solar. “We don’t burn fuel using lawn mowers,” he said Arber Maliqi, director of the solar plant. “Generating electricity from the sun and mowing the grass with sheep is going green twice over.”
The Vienna precedent
Luse of sheep for the “maintenance” of photovoltaic fields it’s nothing new. In fact, for a couple of years already, 90 sheep have been “taking care” of the photovoltaic plant in Schafflerhofstrasse in Vienna – Donaustadt, the largest in Austria. The 12+ hectare area is perfectly suited to grazing and, in an effort to maximize the city’s green efforts, it was decided to use these ‘green mowers’.
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“They work wonderfully,” said the city councilor for climate protection Jurgen Czernohorszky. Luckily, everything needed to make the solar farm sheep-friendly was already there. The panels are higher than normal and the electrical components are installed in a way that is safe for sheep. To prepare the ground, one was sown special blend of seeds and the solar park was already fenced.
The panels themselves act as shelter for the animals when it rains or shines, and a farmer checks their health once a day. Sheep not only provide a perfectly manicured lawnbut also contribute to the biodiversity of the area, as they carry pollen and seeds in their wool.
“The interaction between environment and technology is critical. This is a pilot project here, open space systems can be designed in an environmentally friendly way!” he explained Michael Streblchairman of the board of directors of Vienna Energiesthe company that built the solar park.
The large area is sectioned so that the flock does not get lost. The sheep need around five weeks to prune the entire field, bringing seeds and natural fertilizer to the plot. The animals will overwinter in a nearby barn.
The sheep farm for solar systems is a great example of an eco-friendly and space-efficient project. The site was a former town gravel dump but now produces beyond 12 gigawatt hours of clean energy which feeds 4,900 Viennese households. This important climate protection project saves 4,200 tons of CO2 per year, putting Vienna on the path to carbon neutrality by 2040.
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Grazing sheep in photovoltaic fields has been made possible by a particular type of solar panel that is becoming more and more widespread, as it manages to combine energy production with the conservation of the natural characteristics of the land where the panels are installed.
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In fact, these are special modules, raised off the ground and adjustable remotely, which allow you to develop agricultural activities (or pastures, in fact) under their “roof”. In the case of crops, for example, technological systems are often used that regulate the angle of the panels to intervene on the water requirement and soil humidity. THE microclimates that are created allow the plants to grow and consequently use the energy produced by the panels also for irrigation. Several agrivoltaic experiments are being developed in the United States or in some vineyards in France which, it seems, are particularly suitable for this type of technology.
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