In 2019, Cornell began testing sheep grazing beneath New York solar panels; the project examined vegetation control, shade, and forage for the animals

As solar farms expand across the United States, communities face a dilemma: how to generate more renewable energy without sacrificing productive farmland. In New York, researchers at Cornell found an interesting solution to this problem, using sheep to graze under the solar panels. According to Cornell’s Solar Grazing Project, researchers began testing this approach in 2019 at the Cascadilla Community Solar Farm in Dryden, New York, to understand how sheep could support both renewable energy production and agricultural activities.

A farm beneath the solar panels

The Cascadilla Community Solar Farm became a testing ground for this idea. The research team studied different grazing densities to understand how many animals could effectively manage plants without damaging the land or affecting the solar panels. Solar operators traditionally rely on mowing or trimming to manage plant growth around equipment, but grazing offered an alternative approach. The presence of sheep helped control vegetation, maintain forage, and live in harmony with solar technology. Both sides also had their own benefits from the arrangement. The arrangement allowed the solar site to support agricultural activity while researchers studied how livestock could function within energy infrastructure.

Cornell researchers found that sheep grazing at the right density allowed effective plant management around solar arrays while providing animals with shade and access to forage. The early results suggested that solar grazing could provide advantages for both livestock producers and solar operators.

When agriculture meets renewable energy

The concept of solar grazing is part of an emerging trend called agrivoltaics, where agricultural activity and solar energy production coexist on the same piece of land. Rather than seeing solar farms and agriculture as two competing interests, scientists are exploring ways that these two activities can benefit from one another.

For the farmer, solar grazing provides new sources of income by enabling the livestock business to enter into the world of renewable energy. The sheep producer can offer vegetation management services to the solar developer while continuing agricultural activities. For the solar operator, the presence of livestock reduced the need for mowing and helped maintain the landscape around the panels. Cornell researchers also examined factors beyond plant growth, including animal welfare, forage quality, pollinator habitat, and changes in soil carbon. These measurements helped evaluate how solar sites could support both energy production and agricultural functions.

A new path for shared land use

The Cornell project demonstrates how renewable energy expansion does not necessarily have to conflict with agriculture. With increasing needs for solar energy in communities, there is a need for balancing energy production with other ways of using the land.

The future of solar energy developments could lie in discovering partnerships among different industrial players. A field with solar panels can still support agricultural activities, while grazing livestock can contribute to renewable energy projects. The Cornell trial added evidence to the growing study of agrivoltaics, showing how solar sites can be designed to support both energy generation and agricultural research.