No, we're not trying to pull the wool over your eyes - say hello to the newest maintenance system at the Solar field. Ewe might think that this tight-knit crew just gets along on a few blades of grass, but we assure you they have the shear determination to get the job done.

But seriously, folks, this is a creative and economical solution to keeping the grass and weeds from impacting the efficiency of our solar field. Solar operators around the world have found that a modest flock of sheep offer the best combination of cost and damage prevention to trim the vegetation. This particular crew comes by arrangement with a local farmer. No herbicides, gas-powered mowers, or trimmers needed.

“The sheep at the solar field do a wonderful job – they keep the grass down and they don’t damage the delicate panels in the process,” said energy plant manager, Ted Borer. “But our assistant manager of grounds, E.J. May is the real hero of this story. He brought the idea to us and helped out with due diligence on the process and vetting the farmer. It’s worked out amazingly well.”

Photo by Lisa Nicolaison, Office of Sustainability