Welcome back to another week on
ESC News Blog! Happy Monday!
Did anyone see The Houston
Chronicle’s Business Section on August 10, 2023, they
reprinted an article from the Virginian-Pilot titled, “Grazing sheep grace solar
farms - 1,000 consume vegetation, reducing the need for lawn mowers, other
landscaping machinery in Virginia”? In
the article, it speaks about Dominion Energy’s use of sheep to maintain the land
at their solar farms in Virginia which helps the land and the environment. What they are doing is called solar grazing
and it is environmentally friendly which reduces the use of landscaping
machinery, but it isn’t anything new according to the American Solar Grazing Association. Currently, Dominion Energy’s use of sheep has
only reduced the use of landscaping equipment by fifty percent, but they hope
in the near future for it to be seventy-five percent. Dominion Energy’s solar farms employs about 1,000
sheep over its six locations. Sussex
Solar Farm has about 100 sheep which help maintain the 80,000 solar panels on
its 216 acres site. The sheep and solar farm
help each other by the panels help shade and protect the sheep from inclement
weather and sun while the sheep eat the vegetation, keep the soil healthy, and
help with soil erosion, so it’s a win-win situation. The number of sheep are determined by the
size of the site, and research is still ongoing on the benefits of this relationship,
but it currently it is a way to help farmers make some income. We have heard of goats and other livestock
helping clear land for parks and other sites, but this is a first for areas
which produce energy. It sounds like the
wheels of capitalism working together for a common goal of a cleaner and
brighter future. If you would like to
read more of article it can be viewed on PressReader, please click the
link:
If you would like help in looking
into how to transport and store your products and how clean energies may help
you cut your carbon footprint, contact us via the email in the blog and check
out our ESC's website!
We hope you have a wonderful evening and a great and productive
week!
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Houston Chronicle’s article on PressReader. **