Large sheep farmer adding solar agrivoltaics

4,738 acres of private land run by the Tillard ranching family near Glenrock

1 million solar panels

499 MW of solar generation with onsite battery storage. 300 MW will be allocated for Stage 1 and 199 MW for Stage 2.

expected to generate more than $200 million in state and local taxes over the life of the project

2-5 permanent O&M jobs

in the county – For roughly every 20 residents, there is one wind turbine, the highest ratio in the state. At a recent County Commissioners meeting, it took another step in diversifying its energy infrastructure, signaling its intent to issue its first solar farm permit to BrightNight.

Willox has been a Converse County Commissioner for the last 18 years, during which he’s witnessed the rise, fall and rise again of fossil fuels in the county. When he first started his job, coal production was a huge economic asset to the county. Now, “it’s zero,” he said.

In the early spring grazing time, which is when the most intense grazing is and the most growth is, we could put more sheep on the agrivoltaic array than on the open pasture, and the sheep grew at the same rates,” said Higgins, an associate professor in Oregon State University’s department of biological and ecological engineering. “There was overall more production in that intense grazing period because of the solar panels.”

“We actually had to fence the sheep in the open field to keep them in the open field, because, given the choice, they all preferred to be in the solar.”

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