CLEANER ENERGY

"Solar grazing" keeps vegetation from shading the panels.

There's more than clean energy at MGE's local solar facilities. Sheep from a Fitchburg farm help control ground cover at some of MGE’s local solar arrays during the growing season, which typically lasts from June through October. 

In 2024, the 6-megawatt Tyto Solar facility in Fitchburg was MGE's first solar project to deploy sheep. This year, the flock from Wiscovery Farm began the season at Tyto before moving to Hermsdorf Solar Fields in June. Later this summer, they’ll travel back to Tyto or Strix Solar in Fitchburg. 

The sheep maintain the grass and brush in a sustainable way. This practice is an example of agrivoltaics or dual-use solar. The land is used for solar generation and agricultural production, such as crop or livestock production or the creation of pollinator habitat. 

"Solar grazing" by the sheep keeps the grass and brush from shading the solar panels. This avoids drops in panel efficiency due to vegetation shading and avoids the use of fossil fuel for mowing.  

The practice builds on MGE’s commitment to sustainability and to biodiversity at MGE’s solar facilities. Other MGE-owned and MGE-operated sites, such as the 22-MW O’Brien Solar Fields, host native plants to support pollinators from spring through fall. 

Wiscovery Farm

Wiscovery Farm is a certified organic farm owned and operated by Grace and Beau Stafford who provide the flock. After wintering at Wiscovery Farm, the flock of registered Katahdin sheep return to an MGE solar site in spring for a new season of solar grazing. Meet the flock and hear more about MGE's use of agrivoltaics in our Green View video. 

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