We know solar grazing has expanded exponentially over the past few years, but what is the current state?
For ASGA Call #85 we were joined by Alyssa Andrew and Anna Clare Monlezun, PhD. to provide a current count of solar grazing in the U.S. These results presented by ASGA’s research team were obtained through the first-ever U.S. Solar Grazing Census, a project done in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory‘s InSPIRE project.
The Census results share insightful details about the landscape of solar grazing across the country, such as:
- Participant demographics
- The scale of solar grazing
- Solar grazing operations and practice
- Solar grazier perspectives
On the call, we learned that 129,261 acres of solar sites are reported as being grazed in the U.S. by 113,050 sheep on 506 sites across 30 states!
Following the Census results portion of the presentation, we heard from Stacie Peterson (ASGA Executive Director), who shared how these findings support ASGA’s mission and provides opportunities for future growth in our community. Lynn Fahrmeier from the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) related highlights from the Census to the sheep industry as a whole. Shawn Rumery from the Solar and Storage Industries Institute rounded out the presentation by sharing how the growth of the solar industry can be supported by the growth of solar grazing.
The 2024 United States Solar Grazing Census was supported by a grant of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy. The Census was conducted and completed late last year, after two rounds of surveys and 127 participants. We greatly appreciate those who participated in and shared the 2024 ASGA Census!
Our ASGA event recordings are available to members of ASGA’s online network. Not a member? Please join us here!
The full Census results will be published in a forthcoming report, “United States Solar Grazing 2024 Census”, by the American Solar Grazing Association. Check back on ASGA’s Solar Grazing Census page for the full release!
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