Sunlight, Sheep, and Sustainability at Strix Solar

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy’s Community Relations Coordinator, Kristen May, recently had the opportunity to tour Strix Solar, a 6-megawatt solar project in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The tour satisfied a personal and professional curiosity for Kristen, a Wisconsin farmer herself, about the coexistence of agriculture and solar. 

On the site, Katahdin sheep calmly grazed amongst the rows of panels, doing their part to keep the site in top shape. The sheep provide natural vegetation management without machines or fuel, fertilize the soil as they move, and make good use of land that might otherwise sit idle. The pairing is mutually beneficial, as the site is planted with a special mix of grasses to enhance the sheep’s diet. In fact, they are only given grain if they truly need it—otherwise, they receive their nutrition directly from the grass.

This practice of pairing solar and sheep grazing, known as agrivoltaics, allows the land to serve two purposes at once: generating clean energy while supporting agriculture. 

At a time when farmers are facing severe commodity crises, agrivoltaic partnerships prove to be an important new source of stability and revenue. For the farmer, it means safe pasture for the flock and additional income; for the project owner, it’s an innovative solution to a site maintenance challenge; and for communities, it’s a vision of resilience and innovation in action.

Walking through the site, Kris was struck by the unity of it all—sheep, sunlight, and solar panels working together to power the future of  Wisconsin. If you are curious to learn more about agrivoltaics or wind and solar projects in your community, please reach out to Kristen May.