Sheep take on lawn maintenance at Sarnia solar farm

A flock of sheep has been put the work cutting the grass at one of Canada’s largest solar farms in Sarnia.

“So whenever they see Brent and I, they think they’re going to get new food. They’re very loud sometimes. They are always hungry, not for lack of nothing to eat, but they like to make noise and be loud constantly,” explained Meika Pelleboer.

Meika and her husband Brent Pelleboer operate Angus Farms in Camlachie, northeast of Sarnia.

Shepherds Meika and Brent Pelleboer of Angus Creek Farms (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

They’ve relocated their 275 sheep to Sarnia Solar for the summer. It’s a solar farm owned by energy company Enbridge on the western outskirts of Sarnia. The sheep are maintaining the vegetation by eating the grass and weeds, covering an 85 acre plot on the massive site.

“I mean obviously they love eating grass,” explained Brent. “They’re small so they can get under the panels and manoeuvre them easily. Whereas, it’s a little bit more difficult for a person or a lawn mower to get under there,” he said.

The solar farm has more than 1.3 million solar panels. It produces 80 MW of electricity, enough energy to power between 14,000 and 16,000 homes, said Sarnia Solar Operations Manager Ian Robertson.

Sheep maintain the grass at Sarnia Solar (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

“Producing the power that we produce, we’re not taking a giant footprint up. Now we’re also stabilizing another resource as well by having the sheep come in, and they get to feed off of the area,” he said.

The unique partnership is a pilot project for this year. Enbridge says the four-legged lawn cutters could eliminate the need for pesticides. They also support the growth of native flowering plants.

The company is monitoring for other possible benefits, as the ewes, accompanied by their guard dogs Ned and Ivy, complete their summer internships.