Fact Sheets, Guidelines, and Published Research on Solar Grazing
Cornell University has a wide range of publishing on renewable energy, the sheep industry, and other topics that may interest our readers. The following resources are likely to be the most interesting to solar industry professionals and sheep producers with an interest in solar grazing opportunities in New York State.
Grazing Sheep on Solar Sites in New York State: Opportunities and Challenges published (2021)
Large-Scale Solar Information and Research Needs for NYS- Cornell
The agricultural, economic and environmental potential
of co-locating utility scale solar with grazing sheep (2019)
The Cornell Sheep program now offers a grazing blog with additional resources, as there are ongoing research projects such as the 2019 AVF Grazing Sheep at Solar Sites to Boost Pollinator Habitat and Sequester Soil Carbon
Follow Cornell Grazing here:
https://blogs.cornell.edu/grazing/.
Atkinson Center Grant Research 2018
The results of the 2018 solar grazing research, funded by the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University.
Members of Cornell's Animal Science teamed up with ASGA to begin research on using sheep for grounds maintenance of solar farms. New York State has set ambitious clean energy goals to be executed by 2040, of which ground-mounted solar arrays are a key component. The land that is converted to clean energy production must be maintained in a manner that prevents plants from shading the solar panels.
Our research, "Can Grazing Sheep on Solar Farms Evolve to be a Profitable and Climate Resilient Agrivoltaic Strategy?" will offer a unique examination of land stewardship management systems at solar arrays grazed by sheep and those managed by traditional, conventional landscaping services. As a team of devoted farmers and researchers, we are optimistic that grazing sheep can provide a valuable dual use for these lands.
