Nearly 2,500 sheep are flooding Xcel Energy’s Sherco Solar 1 site in Clear Lake, MN, to graze on native, pollinator-friendly forage.

Vegetation management is a necessity for any solar installation, so that operators on site can access the equipment for inspections and maintenance. The sheep — raised locally in Foley, MN, and provided by Otsego-based Minnesota Native Landscapes (MNL) — are an environmentally friendly alternative to combustion-powered mowing equipment and can also help remove invasive species and reduce the need for herbicides.

MNL guided Xcel Energy in identifying that sheep would be the right choice of grazers to fit the grassy land at Sherco Solar. The more than 1,500 adult sheep and hundreds of baby lambs will remain at the site, chewing back grasses and bushes, throughout the summer and into the fall.

Sherco Solar 1 is the first phase of a larger, 710-megawatt solar installation scheduled to be completed in 2026 near the Sherco coal plant in Becker, MN. The project will be one of the largest solar installations in the Upper Midwest, with capacity to power 150,000 homes across Xcel Energy’s Upper Midwest service area. Solar energy is one part of a diversified energy mix designed to reach the statewide goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.