CLEAR LAKE, Minn. 鈥� Six hundred sheep have started grazing the prairie on Xcel Energy鈥檚 Sherco Solar 1 site in Sherburne County.
On Thursday, May 29, Minnesota Native Landscapes brought a second truck of ewes and lambs onto the Sherco Solar 1 energy plant in Clear Lake. The first load of sheep was brought in May 9, and they鈥檝e already cut down a large portion of the grass on the north side of the plant, according to Jodee Nohner, Minnesota Native Landscapes鈥� grazing program coordinator.
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Sherco officials invited the media Thursday to see the sheep and hear about the grazing program on the 1,400-acre property 鈥� and even bottle-feed a pair of baby lambs, Bob and Rob.
Luke Molus, Xcel Energy鈥檚 operations manager, said Sherco Solar 1 is the first Xcel plant to partner with Minnesota Native Landscapes, an ecological restoration company based in Otsego that specializes in bio-engineering, native seeding and solar energy projects, according to its website, .
The sheep will be used as an energy-sustainable, cost-effective alternative to mowing and spraying, officials said. Since sheep eat a wide variety of plants, they will also protect the prairie from invasive species of weeds at the infant stage so they don鈥檛 flower and reproduce, according to Nohner.
With the addition of the second flock, there are about 600 ewes on site, plus an unknown number of lambs. About 1,500 ewes and lambs are expected to be on-site by the end of the summer, according to Briana Beck, Minnesota Native Landscapes鈥� project supervisor.
Every two weeks, the sheep will be rotated around the grounds, ensuring they cut down the vegetation throughout the entire area, making it easier for workers to access the solar equipment.
As project development moves forward and Xcel enters phases 2 and 3 of the Sherco Solar plant, the number of sheep will increase to cover the additional land, Nohner said.
Minnesota Native Landscapes breeds many of the sheep they use. They also partner with local farmers. According to Nohner, Minnesota Native Landscapes will sometimes lease a farmer鈥檚 sheep or let the farmers release their sheep onto the plants they manage.
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Beck said that, ideally, the sheep will stay on-site throughout the winter. However, if the snow gets too deep and the sheep can鈥檛 get through, Minnesota Native Landscapes will bring the sheep back to the farm to ensure they stay fed during the colder seasons.
Sherco Solar 1 is the first phase of a larger solar energy project, according to a Sherco news release. The project is expected to generate 710 megawatts of energy. Phase 2 is expected to be complete in the fall of 2025, and phase 3 will be operational in the fall of 2026, according to Nohner.
Sherco Solar 1 is performing better than the organization expected it to, Molus said. The site generates approximately 223 megawatts of energy on a sunny day.
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