Solar and sheep working hand and hoof in Danville
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Solar energy and sheep may sound like an unlikely pair, but it’s proving helpful for farms in Vermilion County and beyond.
Under the summer sun and rows of solar panels, troops of sheep weave in and around while munching on grass.
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“I never thought a part of my job would be finding small to midsize family farms in south central Illinois, but here we are,” Angie Burke, Pivot Energy operations and maintenance director, said.
Pivot Energy is part of a growing wave of solar energy companies using sheep to mow their grass. Of their 30 sites in Illinois, the vast majority rely on the animals for upkeep.
That includes a 2.8-acre site in Danville that generates enough energy to power more than 100 homes.
“It’s good for everyone involved,” ranch owner Brandon Fink said.
Fink enlisted a couple dozen of his sheep to eat away at the vegetation. Not only does it give his flocks space to graze, but it lessens the carbon footprint.
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“Using gasoline-powered mechanical mowing on site would be acting kind of counter to our renewable energy efforts,” Burke said.
It’s flipping the script on traditional mowing and pay. Where farmers would usually have to give money to landowners to let their animals graze, Pivot Energy does the opposite.
“We’re actually compensating the grazer to bring their sheep here and so it really helps to bridge that gap and get to profitability and get to growth for that farm,” Burke said.
Beyond keeping the grass short, the sheep fertilize the ground. Their hooves also work seed into the ground to keep the site green for years to come.
“Our goal and our hope here with these sheep and this service is ultimately leaving this land better than we found it,” Burke said.
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