Today, the Eastern Cotton Tail Solar Energy Project announced the implementation of sheep grazing to assist in vegetation management at the project site, thereby helping to maintain the agricultural use of the land. The commitment to implementing herd grazing has been added as a supplement to the permit application submitted by Eastern Cottontail Solar to the Ohio Power Site Selection Commission. The project will seek to collaborate with local shepherds to provide and manage sheep herds.

Our commitment to shepherding sheep is a major initiative for Eastern Cottontail Solar, as its goal is to become the first American project by developer EDF Renewables to implement agricultural photovoltaics, where land is used for dual purposes of clean energy generation and agricultural operations, "said Nick Lucania, chief developer of the Eastern Cottontail solar project. The dual use of solar powered agricultural land will support local agriculture and help protect the agricultural heritage of Fairfield County, while increasing the land use of our project

Lucania continued, "Over the past four years, one characteristic of our project has been substantial engagement with local communities to listen to concerns and incorporate feedback, thereby building trust and establishing strong partnerships." "The most common concern we hear is that although solar energy utilizes private land, it may replace active farmland. In response, we recommend incorporating grazing sheep into the community, providing a solution to help land improve energy production and agricultural productivity. This is a win-win situation for everyone in Fairfield County and meaningful for the entire community

Eastern Cottontail Solar, developed by EDF Renewables, is a proposed utility scale solar facility with a capacity of up to 220 MW that will generate approximately enough electricity to power 42000 ordinary households in the United States.