How Solar Development Transformed from Threat to Opportunity for Illinois Farmers » Yale Climate Connection

Farmer Trent Gerlach was disappointed when he found out a solar farm was going to be built on the land he's long farmed in northwest Illinois.

“As a farmer, it's difficult to see land stop producing. When you've farmed it for many years, you've been a steward of that land, fertilizing that land, caring for it as if it were your own, ” he said.

The Gerlaches have been growing corn, soybeans and livestock since 1968, and like many farmers, they lease farmland in addition to farming their own land. When the owner of one of the leased parcels decided to partner with Acciona Energia to help site its High Point wind and solar farm, Gerlach was initially unenthusiastic.

“In my personal opinion, the idea of ​​using solar panels to stop productive farmland is not ideal,” he said.

But Gerlach is determined to make the best of the situation.

Ultimately, it means a win-win arrangement, with Acciona paying him to manage the vegetation around the 100 MW solar panel array that will come online in early 2024.

“We didn’t own the land, we had no say — that was the landowner’s right, and I was very supportive of that,” Gerlach recalled. “The biggest thing that gets farmers into trouble in American agriculture is saying, 'We've always done it this way, so we're going to do it this way.'” Renewable energy may not be going away, and whether you're for it or against it, it's coming , that's what's happening. As agricultural producers, we will adapt to it.

a hopeful arrangement

Researchers across the country are exploring agriphotovoltaics, or combining solar power with agriculture in mutually beneficial ways. Projects range from growing tomatoes in California to wild blueberries in Maine, with varying degrees of success.

Acciona regional manager Kyle Charpie said sheep grazing appears to be a particularly promising form of agrivoltaic power generation that the company may continue to explore globally. Solar operators need to control vegetation, and sheep are a more efficient and environmentally friendly way to do so than mechanical mowing. Charpie noted that Acciona has long had a sheep agrivoltaic business in Portugal, with two projects underway in Texas.

“It's incredibly cost-effective – the sheep don't break down like a tractor does; if the tractor breaks the belt, you lose a whole day of cutting time,” he said. “These grasses grow extremely fast; it’s the continued presence of the sheep that makes it super, really efficient. It fits in with our sustainability goals.

“It's hard to argue that we are the greatest renewable energy company in the world. [if] We have a bunch of tractors running around our fields spewing carbon dioxide,” he continued.

Another advantage, Chappie said, is that at the end of the solar array's life, the land beneath it will be restored and renewed.

“These sheep that we have now will breathe, live, dig in the soil with their hooves and die over 30 years; it's the cycle of life,” he said. “When these farms are returned to families, the soil conditions will be excellent.”

“He saw an opportunity here”

When Gerlach's family had about 50 ewes, they came up with the idea of ​​grazing them around solar panels. In Chappie's words, he “hunted” Acciona for the agrivoltaics deal.

“He saw an opportunity here and he's been his own best advocate, knocking on doors and checking how close we were and when we could get the sheep here,” Chappie said.

Gerlach ended up buying about 500 sheep, divided into two types: Dorpers and Katahdins, both small breeds that could easily fit into solar panels.

“These panels can create a lot of shade – during the heat of the day, they all shade underneath the panels,” Gerlach said. “In the early morning and evening they will actively go out and graze. They don't disturb the panels at all.

Gerlach said his family “used to raise livestock like everyone before us” and his farm won awards for its cattle, but raising livestock has become less profitable in recent years. Agriphotonics provided an opportunity to delve back into sheep farming, something Gerlach loved. He said commercial sheep farming was only possible if vegetation management fees were paid.

“Raising sheep in the United States is challenging because the market for sheep is not very high,” he said. There wasn't much of a domestic market for wool, and “sheep and lamb never really caught on in the U.S.—we're a beef, pork, and poultry consumer.”

Gerlach sells most of its lambs during Easter, mostly for kosher and halal meals. Since the market is very limited, the ewes mainly survive by eating grass.

“We like to provide stewardship services for animals. That's what American agriculture was based on hundreds of years ago. It fits very well with crop production on the land around us.” “In agriculture, you need diversification. By bringing in sheep and livestock production, we have the ability to employ more full-time staff.

Stakeholders agree that sheep are the most suitable livestock for agricultural photovoltaic power generation.

“You can't use cows because they're too big and they'll rub against the panels and break them,” Gerlach said. “You can't use goats because goats will climb up the panels and they're natural chewers. They'll chew the wires.

The High Point solar array is divided into individual fenced-in lots, “like a perfect sheepfold,” Chappie added.

In larger uninterrupted plots, farmers may need to strategically shift the sheep's water source across the area to ensure the animals cover the entire plot. Gerlach's flock only eats about a fifth of Asciona's solar array. He hopes to expand, despite the high cost of feeding and sheltering the sheep during the winter when they can't graze.

“I have three young children. Hopefully we raise them in agriculture. It's a good habit for our young people to learn responsibility and stewardship,” Gerlach said.

“[The animals] First, they are fed, watered and cared for before we do. Sometimes agriculture, especially large-scale production agriculture, is portrayed poorly. I try to really push that it's not for everyone. Talk to local farmers, local people – you'll often see that we are stewards of the land and we want healthy land and healthy livestock. This can be combined perfectly with clean energy.

This article was originally published by Energy News Network as part of Report Climate Now, a global journalism partnership to strengthen coverage of climate reporting.