Solar throws shade at sheep

AUSTRALIA: NOT ONLY IS GRASS GREENER, THE WOOL IMPROVES WHILE MORE MONEY FLOWS

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Australian farmer Tom Warren's solar panels look like any other - until you spot the dozens of sheep grazing and napping, helping the country transition to green energy and earning him a decent income while doing it.

More than 30 000 solar panels are deployed across approximately 50 hectares at Warren's farm on the outskirts of Dubbo, about 400km west of Sydney.

The farmer and landowner has been working with renewables firm Neoen for more than a decade and said he was initially worried the panels would restrict his sheep’s grazing.

It quickly became clear those fears were unfounded.

"Normally they would seek out trees and camp under the trees, but you can see that the sheep are seeking out the shade of the panels," he said at the farm in Dubbo.

The farm produces about 20 megawatts of power, he said - a "substantial amount" of the energy needs of the local area.

While he can't disclose how much he earns from the panels, he said he's taking in much more than he would from just farming.