While China is responsible for over half of the world’s annual coal use, it’s also been investing heavily in solar energy projects. The biggest is the Gonghe Photovoltaic Park, which covers 162 square miles of the Tibetan Plateau, an area seven times the size of Manhattan. The solar farm has been quietly changing the desert around it, as the panels create the right conditions for the soil below to encourage plant growth. Another solar farm in the area, Talatan Solar Park, has made an agreement with local farmers that allows sheep to graze in the area, which shows how green energy facilities can have a positive but unexpected impact on residents.
Solar grazing, as it’s been called, involves sheep serving as a natural landscaping crew. The grass beneath solar farms can grow so high that it blocks sunlight or becomes a fire risk, but the sheep enjoy the shade of the panels and will happily graze. They’re even more efficient than lawnmowers, too, as they can fit into small spaces between poles and panels — not to mention they’re more environmentally friendly. These solar grazing deals also provide an additional (often much needed) source of income for local farmers.
Talatan’s solar panels were even adjusted with the sheep in mind. The first ones installed in 2012 were too short for animals to graze beneath, so they’re now mounted higher. Tibet isn’t the only place using sheep to keep the area beneath solar panels clean. Since 2018, the American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) has worked to bring farmers and solar companies together in a mutually beneficial way.
Though the primary goal of solar projects is obviously to provide clean energy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, they can have additional environmental and economic benefits. Separate studies have found that the soil below solar installations was healthier, in turn encouraging biodiversity, and that solar panels have already saved lives by reducing air pollution. Investing in solar can also bring down energy costs and create jobs.
That’s not to say the unintentional effects of solar farms are all positive. Solar panels can pose a threat to wildlife, particularly birds, who can’t tell the difference between solar farms and lakes. They also need to cover a lot of space to generate enough energy to put a dent in our power needs; to put it in perspective, it would take millions of solar panels to equal one nuclear reactor. Building large enough facilities can mean having to disturb wildlife or displace residents. That often impacts low-income and minority communities, as well as farmers. 
While many arguments against solar and other forms of renewable energy are not made in good faith, there are legitimate social, economic, and environmental concerns that need to be addressed. Still, practices like solar grazing show that the consequences of solar farms aren’t always negative. Transitioning to green energy sources is an important piece of fighting man-made climate change, and if we can do it in a way that has further benefits for the local ecosystem and economy, that’s even better.

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