Events

What goes into solar site construction and what should solar graziers know about it?

For our December call, we’re excited to have Daniel Shapiro, Vice President of Projects and Construction at Lightsource bp, and his team give us an in-depth look at the solar site construction process and its basic components.

They’ll discuss how a solar farm comes together, the construction process and what it looks like in different phases, and how they manage the soil and provide the right vegetation for grazing.

This will be a great opportunity for graziers to learn about the components of a solar site and have an understanding of how it’s put together. You’ll also get a sense of what decisions about design and equipment solar companies make and when they happen in the construction process.

After the presentation, we'll have an audience Q&A.

: Kevin Richardson (ASGA) and Christopher McCabe 

ASGA Call 73: Breaking Down Solar Farm Construction for Graziers

For this month’s ASGA call, we’re taking a quick look across the Atlantic to hear about some of the latest solar grazing and agrivoltaics developments in Europe. We’ll be joined by Stephan Schindele, Head of Product Management Agri-PV at BayWa r.e., who oversees the exciting agrivoltaics projects they’re running in Europe.

BayWa has been doing solar grazing for a number of years, with 40 grazing sites at present, as well as a diverse selection of agrivoltaics projects.

Stephan will give an overview of their solar grazing operations and provide examples of best practices. 

Like the U.S., regional differences have a major impact on grazing operations and Stephan will give us a sense of the different approaches (as well challenges) to vegetation management across Europe’s varied climates, including water concerns, fire risk abatement, overwintering strategies, and more.

In addition to the grazing work, Stephan will give us a brief overview of their diverse agrivoltaics projects and discuss some of their experiments with crops like hay (“hayvoltaics”) and with grazing other animals including cows (“cowvoltaics”).

He’ll also touch on their experiments with using solar modules for rainwater collection and the water economics of it.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and you’ll have an opportunity to ask Stephan questions about what’s happening in Europe with AgriPV. 

: Kevin Richardson (ASGA) and Amber Lessard 

Note: Because we have guests from Europe, our November call will be happening on the 2nd Wednesday, November 8th in the early afternoon @1:00pm ET instead of the usual date and time. 

ASGA Call 72: European Solar Grazing and Agrivoltaics with BayWa’s Stephan Schindele

Whether you're just getting into solar grazing or you're a long-time sheep farmer, managing sheep health in solar grazing is a major pain point that requires ongoing attention and accumulated experience. Preparing for common health issues and for the unexpected are key to keeping the sheep happy and your grazing operation running smoothly.

For our October 2023 ASGA Call, we've put together a panel of veterinarians and experienced graziers to discuss how they handle some of the biggest health issues that come up in a solar grazing system. 

On the panel will be Cindy Wolf, a veterinarian from the University of Minnesota, Judy St. Leger, a veterinary pathologist and solar grazier, and Caroline Owens, an ASGA Board Member with a long history raising sheep and an experienced solar grazier. Judy and Caroline are both Founding ASGA Members.

The panel will discuss a range of topics and, in the second half of the event they'll answer your sheep health questions.

The information will be useful not only to new and experienced solar graziers, but to solar developers and site managers as well.

Come to the event ready to ask your health-related questions!

Are there any health questions missing from the list that you would like addressed? Drop your question in the comments below or bring them to the event and we'll make sure to address it during the Q&A!

ASGA Call 71: Sheep Health in Solar Systems

We are excited to launch ASGA Certification™ for Solar Grazing Training. This innovative program lends ASGA’s seal of approval to qualified training courses and their graduates. Certification recognizes educational programs teaching key topics and best management practices fundamental to using sheep to manage vegetation on solar energy sites.

Once a program is certified, students successfully completing the program will be identified as ASGA-certified solar graziers. The overall objective is to support the development of skilled solar graziers to meet the demands of rapid solar expansion, help new graziers succeed, and ensure the livestock is well taken care of.

At this month's webinar, ASGA Board Member Caroline Owens will explain how the program works, outline the application process, and discuss the benefits to various stakeholders.

 is a solar grazier in Pennsylvania with a background in education as well as 30 plus years running sheep. She is a former Vocational Agriculture teacher who moved on to marketing communications and equestrian travel before farming full-time. She holds a B.S. in Animal Science/Agricultural Education from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Boston University. From 2004 until 2018, Caroline offered Sheep Camp for Kids on the farm during the summer, a program so popular that no spot went unfilled for 14 consecutive years. Caroline also enjoys teaching adults, holding educational events such as Sheep Boot Camp, Lambing Clinic, and Sheep 101.

ASGA Call 70: Introducing ASGA Certification™ for Solar Grazing Training!

What are the climate and environmental impacts of adding sheep to solar sites? How does solar grazing compare to conventional solar sites and to conventional sheep production?

The potential impact solar grazing may have on reducing emissions is an important growth area for the future of the industry.

For this month’s webinar, we’re introducing some exciting research on the environmental benefits of solar grazing and putting it in conversation with research on the environmental impact of conventional sheep production.

We’ve invited Robert Handler and Joshua Pierce to discuss their exciting new paper analyzing the benefits of grazing sheep on solar sites over a 30-year life cycle. To bring more context to the discussion, we’ve invited Erin Recktenwald from Michigan State University to discuss her research estimating the greenhouse gas emissions from different types of sheep production.

The discussion will help give us a sense of the overall climate benefits of solar grazing, and allow us to compare solar grazing's impacts to conventional sheep grazing.

About Robert and Joshua’s Life Cycle Analysis of Solar Grazing:

Taking the long view, Robert and Joshua’s research shows that solar grazing is twice as land-use efficient than producing sheep and operating solar sites separately, and reduces emissions. Their findings argue that dual-use systems reduce the environmental impacts of producing electricity and food, and grazing solar sites should be encouraged.

https://www.agrisolarclearinghouse.org/greener-sheep-life-cycle-analysis-of-integrated-sheep-agrivoltaic-systems/

About Erin’s research into life-cycle emissions from sheep production:

The U.S. sheep industry is uniquely diverse, with a range of productivity and management intensity from housed, highly prolific flocks to flocks with lower productivity in extensive grazing systems. The adoption of different management practices are often regional, but there is also a large range of management systems within a region related to many factors including land value, degree of infrastructure investment, size of farm and market focus. There are also clear regional differences based on climate zone and associated vegetation.

The main objective of this study was to develop a cradle-to-farm gate life cycle analysis for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from four types of sheep production systems typically found in the U.S., ranging from highly productive, intensive management to less productive, more extensive management practices. Another objective was to determine the factors that contribute to an operation’s emissions, such as ewe productivity, manure management, fuel usage, feed purchasing, etc. in an effort to identify potential mitigation targets. The goal of this study was not to find an optimal management system within the U.S. that produced the least emissions, but to determine the variability among and within operation types and determine their sources of GHG to identify potential mitigation strategies.

ASGA Call 69 - Turning Sheep Green: Solar Grazing's Long-Term Emissions and Environmental Benefits

It’s been a little while since we last heard an update on NREL’s (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) agrivoltaics research programs and tools. 

For our July webinar, we’re pleased to be joined by Jordan Macknick and James McCall who will provide an overview of their agrivoltaics research through the InSPIRE project, with a focus on their work on the agrivoltaics costs. 

Jordan and James will discuss several useful tools for solar graziers: their new agrivoltaics map, the agrivoltaics financial calculator, and their comparative research into O&M costs for different types of groundcovers.

You can learn more about the results of NREL’s agrivoltaics research by checking out their recent publication, “

The 5 Cs of Agrivoltaic Success Factors in the United States: Lessons From the InSPIRE Research Study

 is a senior analyst at NREL who specializes in modeling the economic and environmental tradeoffs of agrivoltaics and renewable energy projects. His areas of interest include dual-land use solar configurations, energy-water-food nexus, land use change impacts, and renewable energy siting and economic modeling.

 is the Lead Energy-Water-Land Analyst for NREL. He is a member of the Strategic Energy Analysis Center's Systems Modeling team within the Resources and Sustainability Group. His primary work addresses the environmental impacts of energy technologies, while seeking opportunities for energy and ecological synergies.

In his energy-water-land leadership capacity, Macknick analyzes national and regional implications of different energy pathways in the context of water and land resources, evaluates opportunities to improve the energy management of water infrastructure, and explores innovative approaches to co-locating solar and agricultural activities.

ASGA Call 68 - Making Agrivoltaics a Financial Success: Tools & Research Update from NREL

Join us for a webinar featuring Jim Malooley from Silicon Ranch. Jim will discuss their innovative, large-scale solar grazing programs in the Southeast and beyond.

Silicon Ranch has developed exciting solar grazing programs to support regenerative agriculture, ensuring that their sites are managed intentionally to restore functioning grassland ecosystems while producing pasture-raised lamb and renewable solar energy.

Through their Self-Perform Program, Silicon Ranch trains shepherds to graze large flocks on the company's solar sites, helping to bring local farmers into the solar grazing world and create long-term, sustainable solar grazing operations at their sites.

In addition to working with their in-house local farmers, Silicon Ranch develops regional partnerships with farmers to help them build their solar grazing operations and careers, including working with them to optimize grazing conditions (fencing, water development, and other infrastructure) on sites. This is part of Silicon Ranch’s efforts to support the growth of careers in agrivoltaics and shepherding in rural communities while pursuing renewable agriculture goals.

As a part of their work to restore soil health and biodiversity, they cultivate multi-species grasses to prevent erosion, reduce fire fuel, and mitigate shade.

Silicon Ranch owns and operates all of their solar projects, putting them in a good position for setting up sites for effective, long-term grazing and agrivoltaics programs.

Jim will also discuss their genetics work with the NSIP to adapt parasite-resistant breeds for grazing in the Southeast.

 is a first-generation farmer and shepherd from Indianapolis, IN. After attending Purdue and Boise State Universities, Jim worked in project management on institutional construction projects.  He and his wife’s shared lifelong interest in agriculture led them to depart their careers and found Yellowbird Farms in 2012 in McMinnville, TN.  From the beginning, the goal at Yellowbird Farms was to apply Jim’s engineering background and the tools available through EBVs and the National Sheep Improvement Program to develop a commercial flock of sheep adapted to the Southeast. Foundation ewes were sourced from NSIP producers selecting for parasite-resistant, easy-keeping Katahdins.  Similar criteria were used over the years for sire selection and eventually grew to include the use of southern-adapted Texel rams.  

After outgrowing their deeded acres, Jim turned to solar grazing as a potential solution for expanding his land base.  He met the Regenerative Energy team at Silicon Ranch and both parties recognized they share common goals and values.  

Jim and the Yellowbird flock joined Silicon Ranch late 2021 marking the final step in SRC’s development of a self-owned, self-managed, livestock-based, holistic land management unit.  Through his work within the Regenerative Energy program, Jim continues to advocate for the vast opportunities created by growth of renewable energy production for the American Sheep Industry and its producers.

ASGA Call 67: Shepherding the future - Insights from Silicon Ranch's Solar Grazing Programs in the Southeast

Join us for our second webinar on potential markets for solar wool. For this webinar, we will explore the market opportunities for using U.S. wool fiber in erosion control products, which are used to stabilize weak soil. 

Our speaker will be Rob Ament from Montana State University's Western Transportation Institute. He is pioneering domestic wool as a sustainable, natural fiber component for erosion control products free of plastic and other synthetic materials. If it works, this could open up significant new markets for domestic wool growers and sheep graziers, including solar graziers. Rob will discuss his research on the topic.

Erosion control products have a number of applications and are important for large renewable energy projects, including ground-mounted solar arrays. Erosion control measures are generally required as environmental mitigations for maintaining soil and water quality. Rolled, pelletized, and sprayed erosion control measures are commonplace in renewable energy projects for seeding vegetation and stabilizing sites.

Given the scale of future solar development proposed in the U.S., there also could be significant opportunities for wool grown by domestic sheep graziers to help meet the substantial need for soil stabilization at these sites and other large environmental engineering projects.

Rob Ament’s field research explored the development and deployment of innovative erosion control blankets and silt fences that use waste wool and other naturally decomposable components that are free of plastic or any other synthetic materials. His research demonstrates that these home-grown erosion control products offer superior, natural fiber solutions for establishing vegetation on disturbed soils. In the future, solar and grazing sheep may help to produce erosion control components, creating a potential new field of circular, solar-grown, agrivoltaic wool products.

The research and development were supported by the Montana Department of Transportation and Idaho Transportation Department in two separate projects.

Rob Ament is the Road Ecology Program Manager at Montana State University's Western Transportation Institute. He leads a group of research ecologists and engineers to provide solutions that reduce the ecological impacts of transport infrastructure on nature, both in North America and internationally. Rob has more than 25 years of experience in plant ecology, natural resource management, wildlife conservation, and environmental policy.

ASGA Call 66: Opportunities for Solar Wool Part II - Soil Stability and Erosion Control for Renewable projects

As a follow up to our March webinar on large-scale solar grazing in California and Texas, we've put together a discussion about scaling up to large site grazing in the northeastern United States. 

ASGA Members Alan Aulson  and Dick Henry will join us to share their experiences with targeted grazing in New England. Both Dick and Alan have a long history of targeted grazing in the northeast, accumulating years of experience before the recent solar boom expanded interest in targeted grazing at solar sites. 

Since utility-scale solar sites are expanding quickly in the region, Dick and Alan's extensive experience grazing different areas across northern new England will be valuable for solar graziers who are working to adapt targeted grazing practices to large (and small) solar sites.

ASGA Board Member Daniel Dotterer will also join us to discuss the process he is working through to expand his grazing operation for large site grazing, with a particular emphasis on the capital issues involved. Based in Pennsylvania, like many graziers in his state Daniel is in a position where large solar site opportunities are on the horizon but delayed for various reasons, making it particularly difficult to plan for the expansion.

ASGA Call 65: Preparing for Utility-Scale Solar Grazing in the Northeast with Targeted & Mob Grazing Experts

Last year was an incredible year of growth for solar grazing and ASGA. At the annual meeting, we will highlight ASGA's achievements from 2022 and give you a preview of the exciting developments you can expect to see in 2023. 

​At the meeting, you will learn about our 2022 highlights, programming for 2023, and upcoming ASGA's projects, as well as meet ASGA's membership team and much more! ASGA members will also vote on candidates for the Board of Directors.

The Annual Meeting will be hosted by ASGA's leadership team. Only ASGA members are eligible to vote for board members, but non-members are welcome to attend. 

American Solar Grazing Association

Events