AgriSolar Clearinghouse
Today, the Eastern Cottontail Solar Project announced it will implement sheep grazing to assist with vegetation management at its project site, thereby helping to keep the land in agricultural use. The commitment to implementing sheep grazing has been filed as a supplement to Eastern Cottontail Solar’s permit application with the Ohio Power Siting Board. The project will seek to partner with local shepherds to supply and manage the flock.
“Our commitment to sheep grazing is a major initiative for Eastern Cottontail Solar, as it aims to be the first U.S. project for developer EDF Renewables to implement agrivoltaics, which is the dual use of land for both clean energy generation and agricultural operations,” said Nick Lucania, lead developer of the Eastern Cottontail Solar Project. “Dual solar-agricultural land use will support local farming and help preserve the agricultural heritage of Fairfield County, all while enhancing the land utilized for our project.”
“Over the last four years, a hallmark of our project has been substantial engagement with the local community as a means to listen to concerns and incorporate feedback, which has created trust and established a strong partnership,” Lucania continued. “The most common concern we’ve heard is that while solar utilizes privately owned land, it can displace active farmland. In response, we proposed incorporating sheep grazing to the community, allowing a solution to help land be productive for both energy generation and agriculture. It’s a win-win for everyone in Fairfield County and makes a lot of sense for the entire community.”
Eastern Cottontail Solar, developed by EDF Renewables, is a proposed utility-scale solar facility up to 220 MW that will generate approximately enough electricity to power the equivalent of 42,000 average American homes.
News item from EDF Renewables