Solar Grazing for Utility-Scale Sites
Sheep under the panels, managed rotationally to measurable vegetation targets. DeploySheep is the solar grazing line of DeployGoats, serving utilities and solar developers across the northeastern US.
What We Do
We operate as a managing grazing contractor: we hold the contract, carry the insurance, and manage scheduling, reporting, and site coordination, delivering sheep capacity through a vetted network of regional partner shepherds working under formal written purchase orders.
Under-Array Sheep Grazing
Rotational grazing with temporary electric netting, moved on a 1-to-5-day cycle with the growth. Targets are written as measurable outcomes, for example vegetation held below the panel leading edge with a 4-to-6-inch residual height, and stocking is adjusted to hit them.
Perimeters and Brush: Goats
Goats do not belong under arrays; they climb racking and chew exposed wiring. They are the right tool for perimeter fence lines, brushy setbacks, and woody invasives, delivered through our sister brand DeployGoats under the same contract.
Grazing-Ready Design Consultation
For sites still in development. Fence specification, water stubs, gate widths, panel leading-edge height, and wire management decided during design cost pennies compared to the same changes after energization. We review plans and flag exactly what to change.
How We Work
Site Assessment and Grazing Plan
Pre-season walk-through with your O&M lead: forage inventory, water points, gate and road access, hazard log, and a written paddock map agreed before turnout.
Partner Shepherd Mobilization
Flocks are fielded by vetted regional partner shepherds under formal written purchase orders with defined scope, insurance requirements, and performance terms. One accountable contractor, scaled to the site.
Rotational Grazing to Targets
Paddocks of typically 5 to 15 acres, moved with the forage. Spring flush grazed harder, mid-summer lighter, fall pass to finish. A small mechanical trim component around equipment pads and fence lines is part of every honest program, and it is in ours.
Documentation and Reporting
Per-rotation grazing logs, monthly summaries with geotagged photos, incident reports within 24 hours, and an end-of-season report with acres grazed, animal-days per acre, and recommendations for next season.
Water, Fencing, and Welfare Protocols
Water
Livestock water at every paddock via site hydrants or hauled tanks with float valves. Water is the binding constraint on most sites, and we plan it first.
Fencing
Your perimeter fence is primary containment; we supply and maintain all interior temporary electric netting and energizers, and we flag perimeter gaps or washouts to O&M in our reporting.
Animal Welfare
Daily welfare checks, body-condition scoring, heat protocols, livestock guardian dogs with documented site protocols, and a named veterinarian of record. Care standards consistent with ASGA solar grazing best practices and the American Sheep Industry Association's sheep care guidelines.
O&M Coordination
A single point of contact, a shared grazing calendar, and 48-hour advance notice protocols in both directions for spraying, panel washing, heavy maintenance, or flock moves.
Designing a Site for Grazing?
If your project is still in design, the cheapest vegetation management decisions you will ever make are available right now. We consult with developers and owners' engineers on:
- Sheep-compatible perimeter fencing with no gaps over 4 inches at grade, and 16-foot double gates for trailers
- Frost-free water hydrants stubbed in while electrical trenches are already open
- Panel leading edge at 24 inches or higher, with wiring in conduit or secured above nibble height
- A small gravel staging pad near an access point for handling pens, mineral, and water tanks
- Seed mix and establishment scheduling that protects the stand before first turnout
Distributed water alone can roughly halve grazing operating cost versus full-season hauling. A plan review during design pays for itself many times over.
Request a Design ReviewWhat Solar Grazing Costs
What moves the number: water availability on site (the largest driver), fence type and gate access, distance from partner flock home farms, grazeable acres versus roads and pads, reporting requirements, and whether mechanical trim-out around equipment sits inside or outside the grazing scope.
Multi-year terms typically price below single-season rates because they let graziers amortize equipment and justify flock commitments. Design-phase choices, especially water stubs and sheep-rated fencing, do more to lower lifetime vegetation management cost than any bidding dynamics later.
One Vendor, Both Animals
DeploySheep is the solar grazing service line of DeployGoats, a division of SSI Partners, based in New Hartford, Connecticut. We came to solar from commercial targeted grazing, and we tell solar clients the truth about the two species: sheep are the under-panel animal, goats are the perimeter and brush animal, and the best programs use both under one contract.
As managing grazing contractor, we hold the contract and the client relationship, carry the insurance, and run scheduling, reporting, and site coordination. Sheep capacity is delivered through a vetted network of regional partner shepherds, each working under a formal written purchase order with defined scope, insurance requirements, and performance terms before animals arrive on site. This is the prevailing deployment model in commercial solar grazing, and it lets flock size scale to the site rather than the other way around.
Fully insured, COI on request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can sheep really maintain a solar site?
Yes. Rotational sheep grazing is the prevailing vegetation management method on utility-scale solar sites, and the American Solar Grazing Association's sheep-forward guidance reflects that. Sheep graze low, ignore wiring, and work under racking that mowers cannot reach. An honest program still includes a small mechanical or string-trim component around inverter pads, fence lines, and refusal species, and we say so up front.
How many sheep per acre does a solar site need?
A common planning range in the Northeast is a season average of roughly 2 to 3 mature ewes per acre, managed rotationally rather than set-stocked. Actual numbers flex with forage production, rainfall, and the vegetation-height targets in the O&M spec: higher in the spring flush, lower mid-summer, with a fall pass. Stocking is written to hit measurable outcomes, not a fixed head count.
What does a site need to be grazing-ready?
The big four are fencing, water, access, and panel clearance: a sheep-compatible perimeter fence with no gaps over about 4 inches at grade, water points on site (frost-free hydrants roughly halve operating cost versus full-season hauling), trailer-rated gates and a small staging area, and a panel leading edge of 24 inches or higher with wiring secured above nibble height. Sites still in design can build all of this in for a fraction of the retrofit cost, which is exactly what our design consultation covers.
Do you use goats on solar sites?
Not under the arrays. Goats climb racking and chew exposed wiring, so under-panel grazing is a sheep program. Goats are the right tool for perimeter fence lines, brushy setbacks, and woody invasive encroachment, and we deliver that through our sister brand DeployGoats under the same contract when a site needs it.
What does solar grazing cost?
As an industry benchmark, published Northeast solar grazing rates generally run $250 to $750 per acre per year (Cornell agrivoltaics research and American Solar Grazing Association member reporting), with water availability, fence type, mobilization distance, and reporting requirements driving position within that range. That is benchmark framing, not our rate card; we price each site by written proposal after a site assessment.