Volkswagen has traded lawnmowers for sheep on the large photo voltaic farm that helps energy considered one of its factories in Poland, and the animals are doing extra than simply conserving the grass quick.
As a substitute of utilizing lawnmowers, a flock of 100 sheep is now grazing beneath greater than 31,000 photo voltaic panels that assist energy Volkswagen’s manufacturing plant in Poznań, Poland (the place it makes the VW e-Crafter industrial van, amongst different fashions). It’s a sensible method to keep the location whereas permitting researchers to check how farming and solar energy can coexist on the identical land.
Berlin-based Quanta Vitality constructed and manages the 18.3-megawatt (MW) photo voltaic farm. On sunny days, it will probably generate sufficient electrical energy to fulfill the manufacturing unit’s complete energy demand, and over the course of a 12 months, it provides round 25% of the plant’s electrical energy wants.
The grazing undertaking is a part of a wider agrivoltaics effort, which mixes solar energy with agriculture on the identical land. Whereas sheep grazing at photo voltaic farms has grow to be more and more frequent in international locations just like the US and the UK, Volkswagen says that is considered one of Europe’s most superior industrial agrivoltaics initiatives as a result of it additionally features a main scientific analysis program.
“At the moment, the photovoltaic farm delivers rather more than inexperienced electrical energy. It has additionally grow to be a spot that helps biodiversity, native agriculture, and scientific analysis. The sheep grazing undertaking demonstrates that trendy business can work in concord with nature,” stated Marzena Pillich-Grońska, director of Volkswagen Poznań.
The undertaking is being carried out with Poznań College of Life Sciences, whose researchers are learning how sheep grazing impacts animal welfare, biodiversity, soil high quality, vegetation, and the location’s microclimate. The purpose is to raised perceive how large-scale photo voltaic technology and agriculture can efficiently cohabit on the identical land.
“Agrivoltaics permits us to take a look at photovoltaic farms from a wider perspective than power technology alone,” stated Dr. Joanna Składanowska-Baryza from the college’s Division of Animal Breeding and Product High quality Evaluation. “We’re learning how photovoltaic installations have an effect on animal welfare, the native ecosystem, and whether or not the shade created by photo voltaic panels reduces warmth stress in animals. On the similar time, we analyze modifications within the microclimate, vegetation, and soil to determine options that help the efficient integration of renewable power technology with agricultural exercise.”
The sheep will dwell on the photo voltaic farm by the autumn, underneath the supervision of skilled breeders. In addition to eliminating the necessity for mechanical mowing, grazing can scale back upkeep prices and emissions whereas creating habitat for bugs and different wildlife.
Based on flock proprietor Justyna Nowak-Gajek, the sheep have settled in shortly.
“We are able to clearly see that the flock feels protected – the sheep naturally cut up into smaller teams and graze calmly in several components of the photo voltaic farm. That is the most effective proof that they’ve tailored properly to those circumstances, as a result of a flock that feels threatened all the time stays collectively,” she stated.
Learn extra: Enel is deploying 6,000+ sheep to eight Texas photo voltaic farms
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