Volkswagen’s latest grass-cutting crew in Poland has four legs and an appetite.
Nearly 100 Wielkopolska sheep are grazing beneath the solar panels at Volkswagen Poznan’s Wrzesnia factory, replacing mechanical mowing on the site.
The flock arrived in late April and will stay until autumn, with breeders keeping watch over them.
The solar farm spans about 27 hectares, uses more than 31,000 panels and has an output of 18.3MW. On sunny days, Volkswagen said it can cover the factory’s entire electricity demand. Across a full year, it supplies about a quarter of the plant’s power needs.
The arrangement is also part of an agrivoltaics research project.
Researchers from Poznan University of Life Sciences are studying how grazing and solar generation can share the same land.
Their work covers animal behaviour, soil, vegetation and the microclimate beneath the panels, including whether the shade can reduce heat stress. It also gives researchers a working example of agrivoltaics in Poland.
The sheep themselves are a local Wielkopolska breed that is now covered by a genetic resources protection programme. The breed was developed in the same region of Poland.
So while the panels make electricity, the sheep handle the greenery — no mower required.
