'Solar Sheep' Industry Booms in Texas as Ranchers and Farmers Co-exist with Big Energy Projects

As Texas continues to add utility-scale solar projects, ranchers and farmers are finding ways to keep land in agricultural production while also benefiting from renewable energy development. Solar grazing is one example: sheep graze on the land beneath and around solar panels, providing vegetation management for solar projects while giving ranchers a new source of income. Texas has become the nation’s largest solar-grazing market, with sheep grazing on tens of thousands of acres across the state.

Solar grazing can create benefits for both agriculture and the energy industry. Ranchers can earn additional income without giving up agricultural use of their land, while solar companies can reduce the need for mowing and other mechanical vegetation management. The practice also demonstrates how thoughtfully designed solar projects can support working lands. As agrivoltaics expands, farmers, ranchers, and solar developers are exploring even more ways to combine energy production with agriculture.