Solar farm turns to lamb-scaping

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The Oglethorpe Echo

By Kira Doppel

Lambs and sheep grazing, with herding dogs nearby, is an expected sight in rural Oglethorpe County. What’s different in this pastoral scene on Goose Pond Road is that they’re grazing under solar panels. 

Seventy-five lambs were recently born at Timberland Solar, where its parent company RWE Clean Energy uses sheep for grazing as a part of a sustainable and regenerative management practice. 

With 75 more lambs expected to be born this season, the site will have more than 200 sheep by the end of the year. Plant officials plan to eventually have a total of 750-1,000 sheep. 

“The biggest thing is we’re green renewable, and you don’t want to be hypocritical using diesel to cut the grass,” said Jody Shaw, senior site operator. “The grass is doing exactly what the good Lord made it for — to feed the animals.” 

The organization said this eco-friendly alternative to mowing and herbicides is cost effective and has soil health benefits. RWE’s Timberland solar facility is also the only plant in Northeast Georgia utilizing this technique. 

The sheep are herded and rotated year round into different areas of the 750-acre site by the owner of Proterra, a full-time shepherd and two part-time UGA students. The sheep are kept there by a moveable electric fence. 

Grazing beneath the panels, the sheep keep vegetation low and prevent shade from reducing solar efficiency.  

Last year, the shepherds brought in two rams to breed with the flock. Once the lambs reach maturity, the males will be sold for breeding or meat, while the females will remain on-site to continue the solar grazing operation. 

“That's the rough part of it, but that's how we’ve gotten where we're at as a nation and as mankind,” Shaw said. 

For the shepherds caring for the flock, the work can be demanding. Sometimes, it also gets personal. 

Luke Lynn, one of the shepherds, found two of the lambs orphaned. Mothers will often orphan a lamb if she has triplets, only keeping the two healthiest.

In cases like these, Lynn takes the lambs and bottle feeds them until they are able to graze on their own. One of those lambs, named Cotton, has become a permanent addition to Lynn’s home. 

“Luke’s duties go beyond just an eight-hour day,” Shaw said.

The flock is also managed with the help of three herding dogs who are Anatolian, Akbash and Great Pyrenees, keeping the curiosity of both lambs and onlookers in check. The dogs can be tracked via their collars, ensuring that the sheep can be located. 

While the lambs typically spend much of their day resting, Lynn has also seen them climb on top of hay bales and exhibit youthful curiosity. 

“Its just nice to come out here and see the little things running around,” Shaw said.

Lynn and Shaw said the dogs also have their own sense of adventure, occasionally wandering off at night, but always returning before a new day begins. 

Each week, temporary fencing is moved to guide the sheep to fresh pasture. During the weekend, the fencing is removed, allowing the flock to naturally wander new grazing areas and begin the cycle again.

Timberland Solar began operations last year as a 140‑megawatt photovoltaic facility, but the county’s problems with the site go back to 2023, when stormwater runoff during construction became an issue with nearby landowners.

The county issued a stop-work order in January 2024 — it was lifted about a month later after RWE addressed concerns — and the two sides worked out their differences early last year.

Now, as the lambs lay under the panels preparing for their lives as solar grazers, Lynn has one thing he wants people to know.

“It’s not just taking farmland,” Lynn said. “It’s turning it into solar. We are still farming it and using it for agricultural purposes.”