In Hopkins County, Texas, a new industry is booming: solar grazing. This practice, also known as agrivoltaics, uses the same land for solar energy and agriculture. More than two dozen farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, and energy industry employees recently convened to learn about agrivoltaics.

Solar Grazing Operations

Solar grazing operations are happening on more than 130,000 acres across 500 sites in 30 states, including roughly 68,000 acres in Texas. The efforts involve at least 170 solar companies. JR Howard, who owns Texas Solar Sheep, has been contracting out his herd and supplemental vegetation and land services for years.

Howard said he’s happy to host and educate others about solar grazing. ‘I’m not greedy,’ he said. ‘We need as many people doing this as possible.’ Solar grazing advocates say this is a way to keep ranch and farmlands in agriculture as Texas continues to lead the nation in solar development.

Benefits of Solar Grazing

The grass and plants growing on solar farms need to be managed. If it grows too tall, it can block the solar panels with shade, making them less efficient, or become a fire hazard. Sheep have become the best option for this practice. They graze mostly without issue, unlike goats that jump on the panels and nibble at wires or cattle that are too large to maneuver around standard-sized panels.

Garrett Bader, American Farmland Trust’s Texas Smart Solar specialist, said agrivoltaics is a way to protect working lands and ensure communities are positioned to benefit from changes like a solar farm being installed. ‘This is the perfect intersection to keep agriculture alive,’ Bader said.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.