Sheep Help Generate Electricity: English Solar Farm Powers 1,600 Homes

The Westmill Solar Station

According to НВ — Техно: Located on the border between Oxfordshire and Wiltshire in southern England, the Westmill Solar Station combines electricity generation with sheep grazing. The facility spans 12 hectares and features over 20,000 solar panels. Each year, it produces enough electricity to supply around 1,600 households. The sheep that roam the site help manage vegetation, acting as natural lawnmowers. This dual-use approach-merging solar energy with agriculture-is known as agrivoltaics.

The Promise of Agrivoltaics

According to Solar Energy UK, solar farms currently occupy less than 0.1% of the UK's land area. Even with full deployment by 2050, that figure would not exceed 0.6%. In contrast, over 18 million hectares of land are used for agriculture across the country, while only about 18,000 hectares are covered by solar panels. The Westmill cooperative was founded in 2008, and in 2025, researchers from Lancaster University analyzed 167 scientific publications related to agrivoltaics.

The Westmill facility demonstrates how renewable energy can be integrated into the agricultural sector, simultaneously meeting energy demands and supporting farming. Professor Alona Armstrong, who developed the SPECIES tool, stresses the importance of this synergy for sustainable development.

“Sheep grazing beneath solar panels show how land can be used efficiently while preserving natural resources.” - Professor Alona Armstrong

The Westmill initiative highlights agrivoltaics as a model for sustainable progress in both farming and energy. Amid global challenges like climate change and energy shortages, such projects could play a key role in reducing carbon footprints and optimizing land use. For these efforts to expand and be adopted in other regions, government and investor support is essential.

As renewable energy sources continue to evolve, innovative projects like the Westmill Solar Station are paving the way for sustainable practices in agriculture. In a similar vein, the paper industry is also exploring renewable options, with plans for wind energy to fulfill a significant portion of its electricity needs. Discover how this shift towards greener solutions is transforming traditional industries by reading more about the wind energy initiatives in the paper sector.