No, this isn’t a scene from a surreal movie. It’s simply something that could naturally happen every day in Australia. There, 1.700 Merino sheep moved into a solar park and, as it turned out, didn’t want to leave at all.
In a pioneering three-year study at Lightsourcebp’s Wellington Solar Farm, in New South Wales, Australia, scientists decided to try something different: letting sheep graze among the solar panels. One group was placed among the panels, while the other continued to live and graze in ordinary fields. The findings were so positive that this may be one of the most interesting ideas in science.
As it turned out, the shade from the panels gives the animals a cool place to shelter from the rain, reducing their stress. And the less stress, the softer and higher-quality their wool. In fact, compared with sheep grazing in “traditional” fields, those in “solar” fields produced stronger fibers and generally seemed to have a better appetite.
Vegetation beneath the panels is better maintained thanks to the shade and increased moisture, so the sheep also enjoy more nutritious food.
And it’s not just Australia. Similar experiments have also been conducted in France, with equally encouraging results. So yes, perhaps the farm of the future will be an eco-friendly paradise, with sheep roaming beneath panels and wearing their finest wool.
Source: Gazetta
Source: Gazetta
