Solar grazing
in Rendufe.

Energy generation and land use

A photovoltaic installation changes how a piece of land is used, but does not necessarily mean it stops serving other purposes.

Between the panel structures there is still ground available, subject to the natural cycles of vegetation growth and with potential for activities compatible with the operation and safety of the infrastructure.

Grazing makes use of that.

At the Rendufe parks, renewable electricity generation happens alongside the presence of the animals and the management of the vegetation cover.

This coexistence adds a further dimension to how photovoltaic projects are viewed: beyond installed capacity and energy generated, the relationship between the infrastructure and the land over its whole operating period matters too.

Reducing reliance on mechanical work

Conventional vegetation control over large areas can involve periodic work with mechanical equipment.

Grazing does not remove all of those needs, nor does it replace the full set of maintenance operations at a solar park. It does, however, reduce the exclusive reliance on mechanical methods in certain areas and at certain times of year.

By continuously consuming part of the available vegetation, the animals help limit its growth and reduce the amount of biomass on the ground.

Experience from other solar projects shows exactly this potential. Operators such as Lightsource bp use grazing at photovoltaic installations as a vegetation management solution, linking it to less use of machinery and to the possibility of keeping rural activity on the land occupied by solar plants.

Managing vegetation and land

Vegetation control also matters from a wider land management perspective.

When vegetation grows and later dries out, the amount of accumulated plant material increases. Grazing, by consuming part of that material as it grows, can contribute to a smaller build-up of biomass.

Using animals to manage vegetation cover is not unique to the energy sector.

In Portugal there are targeted grazing projects aimed specifically at vegetation management and reducing fuel load. In Paredes de Coura, for example, this approach has been applied as a complementary instrument for landscape management and rural fire prevention.

At the Rendufe solar parks, the main aim is managing the vegetation associated with operating the installations, but the practice follows a similar logic: using natural processes as part of a more efficient management of the land.

A more integrated use of solar parks

The energy transition raises new challenges around land use.

As renewable generation capacity grows, it becomes equally important to think about how this infrastructure fits into the places where it is built.

Energy generation, land maintenance and livestock farming can share the same space, provided that integration is properly planned and compatible with the technical and safety conditions of the installation.

In Rendufe this happens close to the Grupo JAF head office and gives practical form to how the Group manages its renewable generation assets.

Generating energy, managing land

The sustainability of an energy project does not depend only on the renewable origin of the electricity it generates.

It also depends on how it is built, operated and integrated into the land over time.

At the Rendufe solar parks, using grazing to control vegetation is a concrete measure of that approach: combining a technological energy generation infrastructure with a traditional practice of land management.

External references mentioned: Lightsource bp (grazing at solar plants) and the targeted grazing project in Paredes de Coura.