Volkswagen has traded lawnmowers for sheep at the massive solar farm that helps power one of its factories in Poland, and the animals are doing more than just keeping the grass short.
Instead of using lawnmowers, a flock of 100 sheep is now grazing beneath more than 31,000 solar panels that help power Volkswagen’s manufacturing plant in Poznań, Poland (where it makes the VW e-Crafter commercial van, among other models). It’s a practical way to maintain the site while allowing researchers to study how farming and solar power can coexist on the same land.
Berlin-based Quanta Energy built and manages the 18.3-megawatt (MW) solar farm. On sunny days, it can generate enough electricity to meet the factory’s entire power demand, and over the course of a year, it supplies around 25% of the plant’s electricity needs.
The grazing project is part of a wider agrivoltaics effort, which combines solar power with agriculture on the same land. While sheep grazing at solar farms has become increasingly common in countries like the US and the UK, Volkswagen says this is one of Europe’s most advanced industrial agrivoltaics projects because it also includes a major scientific research program.
“Today, the photovoltaic farm delivers much more than green electricity. It has also become a place that supports biodiversity, local agriculture, and scientific research. The sheep grazing project demonstrates that modern industry can work in harmony with nature,” said Marzena Pillich-Grońska, director of Volkswagen Poznań.
