Medioambiental, Social y Gobierno (ESG), Perspectivas

El pastoreo como solución de operación y mantenimiento de una planta fotovoltaica

Written by

Sheep grazing under solar panels with ARRAY trackers.

La operación y el mantenimiento de una instalación de energía solar fotovoltaica a gran escala es una propuesta costosa y que requiere mucho tiempo.

Sin embargo, ha habido una innovación única en el funcionamiento de las plantas fotovoltaicas, aunque proviene de una fuente simple y decididamente de la vieja escuela.

 

El nuevo papel de las ovejas en la reducción de los costes de operación y mantenimiento de las plantas fotovoltaicas

Has leído bien. Las ovejas se emplean ahora como jardineras en los terrenos de las plantas fotovoltaicas, fusionando los mundos de la agricultura y la energía solar de forma mutuamente beneficiosa.

Según el Laboratorio Nacional de Energías Renovables, las instalaciones solares a gran escala podrían ocupar tres millones de acres (1,2 millones de hectáreas) de terreno estadounidense en 2030. Esta expansión está provocando tensiones entre la industria de la energía solar y las industrias de la ganadería y la agricultura que dependen de la superficie para ser productivas.

En lugar de restringir el uso de las tierras de pastoreo útiles únicamente para la producción de energía solar, la solución híbrida del pastoreo solar, como se conoce, para ajardinar y gestionar eficazmente la vegetación de las instalaciones es una solución cada vez más popular y rentable.

 

¿Por qué “pastoreo solar”?

En 2019, casi 20 estados estaban empleando el pastoreo solar en algún modo, y se espera que ese número crezca aún más a lo largo de 2020, y por una buena razón.

Además de permitir un mayor acceso a tierras clave para los ganaderos, el pastoreo solar también conlleva muchos beneficios para los propietarios y responsables de las plantas solares.

Según un informe de 2018 del Centro Atkinson, elaborado por investigadores de la Universidad de Cornell, las horas de trabajo que normalmente se dedican al manejo mecánico de la vegetación y a la utilización de pesticidas se redujeron con el uso del pastoreo solar. De hecho, se necesitaron 2,5 veces menos horas.

El uso del pastoreo solar también promueve la responsabilidad medioambiental y reafirma el compromiso de una planta con la sostenibilidad. También podría venir acompañado de incentivos, sobre todo a medida que crece su popularidad: Massachusetts ya ofrece incentivos para el pastoreo solar, y otros estados podrían seguir su ejemplo en breve.

Además, las ovejas son el animal perfecto para este trabajo. Son lo suficientemente pequeñas como para caber debajo y alrededor de las instalaciones, pero no causan los estragos que pueden provocar las cabras y otros animales, ya que normalmente sólo pastan lo que se supone que deben: la vegetación.

Ciertamente, hay que tener en cuenta algunas consideraciones importantes, sobre todo por parte del propietario del rebaño, como rotar a las ovejas para evitar el sobrepastoreo, evitar los terrenos baldíos que puedan dañar a los animales, etc. Pero los beneficios de practicar el pastoreo solar compensan este riesgo con una cuidadosa previsión y planificación.

 

Diseño eficiente de la planta y de la operación y mantenimiento

En el caso de las plantas fotovoltaicas, un buen diseño significa tener en cuenta todas las estrategias innovadoras para reducir los costes de operación y mantenimiento desde el inicio del proyecto.

El pastoreo solar puede formar parte de un esfuerzo holístico para reducir esos costes, sobre todo si se complementa con otras decisiones del proyecto.

Las decisiones tomadas en el diseño y la selección de componentes también afectan a la operación y mantenimiento a largo plazo.

La elección de un seguidor con una arquitectura centralizada puede reducir significativamente los costes de operación y mantenimiento a largo plazo, ya que los componentes de vida útil más corta, como las baterías, los dispositivos electromecánicos, etc., en los diseños de seguidor descentralizados pueden aumentar los costes de mantenimiento, especialmente después de que expire la garantía habitual de 5 años. Lo mismo ocurre con el gran número de componentes de las soluciones descentralizadas: cuantas más piezas, más posibilidades de fallos y tiempos de inactividad.

Si nos centramos en el ideal de “mantenimiento cero” y ponemos el tiempo de funcionamiento, el menor mantenimiento correctivo y las soluciones creativas, como el pastoreo solar, a la cabeza de la lista de prioridades de una planta, los costes de funcionamiento y mantenimiento pueden reducirse considerablemente.

ARRAY Technologies ha sido una empresa innovadora en el sector de la energía solar, proporcionando soluciones que acentúan el valor a largo plazo y optimizan el rendimiento. ARRAY fabrica robustos seguidores solares, pero reconoce que las soluciones innovadoras de operación y mantenimiento, como añadir ovejas a la ecuación, forman parte de una estrategia flexible y adaptable que puede aumentar la eficiencia general y reducir los costes durante los 25-30 años de vida útil de una planta solar fotovoltaica.

 

El pastoreo solar en acción

También es una vía de doble sentido: al tiempo que proporciona eficiencia en la reducción de costes para los operadores de las plantas, el pastoreo solar puede suponer una fuente de ingresos adicional para los propietarios que alquilan terrenos a las plantas, en lugar de trasladar los rebaños a terrenos ya utilizados para la energía solar. Una cosa es cierta: el uso de ovejas para el pastoreo solar está impulsando la puesta en práctica de incentivos y programas piloto en todo el mundo, ya que la industria busca implementar las mejores prácticas de O&M más eficientes.

Los seguidores solares de un solo eje DuraTrack® de ARRAY ya han comenzado a ser utilizados en una granja de Australia en la que el pastor de ovejas de Dubbo, Tom Warren, ha arrendado parte de sus tierras a Neoen para construir una granja solar de 20 megavatios. Esta estrategia ha diversificado el flujo de ingresos de Warren: además de la producción de lana, también está cobrando un alquiler por la parte del terreno que ocupa la planta.

En ARRAY, nuestro objetivo es maximizar la producción, y nuestro seguidor DuraTrack® HZ v3 ofrece un valor, una fiabilidad, una durabilidad y una calidad sin precedentes.

Esperamos que nuestras soluciones, las mejores en su categoría, aparezcan en todo el mundo en los esfuerzos de pastoreo solar como parte del impulso de la industria hacia la adopción de la práctica a una escala mucho mayor.

 

¿Cómo empezar?

La Asociación Americana de Pastoreo Solar (ASGA) trabaja activamente para informar a los operadores de plantas y a los agricultores sobre el uso del pastoreo solar y para promover esta práctica en las instalaciones solares.

Además, la ASGA facilita la investigación, las mejores prácticas y mucho más, al tiempo que ofrece membresías y una herramienta para conectar a los agricultores con proyectos solares interesados en emplear el pastoreo solar.

Para obtener más información, póngase en contacto con la ASGA o con ARRAY Technologies para saber cómo podemos ayudarle a mejorar las operaciones y las prácticas de gestión de su planta solar.

Click here for other articles by this author
Ambiental, Social e Governança (ESG), Perspectivas

Flocking to a Utility-Scale PV O&M Solution

Written by

Sheep grazing under solar panels with ARRAY trackers.

Operating and maintaining a utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant is a time-consuming and expensive proposition.

However, there’s been a unique innovation in PV plant operation – though it comes from a simple and decidedly old-school source.

 

Sheep’s New Role in Lowering PV Plant Operations and Maintenance Costs

You read that correctly. Sheep are now being used for landscaping duty on PV plant sites, merging the worlds of agriculture and solar power in a mutually beneficial way.

According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, utility-scale solar arrays could occupy three million acres of American land by 2030. This expansion is causing tension between the solar production industry and the livestock and farming industries that rely on acreage to be productive.

Instead of restricting the use of useful grazing land solely for solar energy production, the hybrid solution of solar grazing, as it’s known, to effectively landscape and manage array vegetation is an increasingly popular and cost-effective solution.

 

Why Solar Grazing?

In 2019, nearly 20 states were employing solar grazing to some degree, with that number expected to grow even further throughout 2020 – and for good reason.

In addition to allowing for greater access to key land for livestock farmers, solar grazing also carries many benefits for solar plant owners and operators.

According to a 2018 Atkinson Center report from Cornell University researchers, labor hours typically spent mechanically managing vegetation and utilizing pesticides were reduced with the use of solar grazing. In fact, 2.5 times fewer hours were needed.

The use of solar grazing also promotes environmental responsibility and reaffirms a plant’s commitment to sustainability. It could also come with incentives, particularly as it grows in popularity – Massachusetts already offers solar grazing incentives, and other states could follow suit shortly.

Sheep are the perfect animal for the job, as well. They’re small enough to fit under and around arrays, but don’t wreak the havoc that goats and other animals can cause, typically only grazing on what they’re supposed to – the vegetation.

There are certainly major considerations, particularly on the part of the flock’s owner, including rotating sheep to avoid overgrazing, avoiding brownfield sites that could harm animals, and more. But the benefits of practicing solar grazing outweigh this risk with careful forethought and planning.

 

Efficient Plant Design and Efficient O&M

For utility-scale PV plants, good design means taking into account every innovative strategy to reduce O&M costs from the onset of the project.

Solar grazing can be part of a holistic effort to reduce those costs, particularly when supplemented by other project decisions.

Choices made in design and component selection affect long-term O&M as well.

Choosing a tracker with a centralized architecture can significantly reduce long-term O&M costs associated with maintenance, as shorter-lifespan components like batteries, electromechanical devices, and more in decentralized tracker designs can drive up maintenance costs, especially after a typical 5-year warranty expires. So can the sheer number of components in decentralized solutions – the more parts, the more potential for failure and downtime.

By focusing on an ideal of “zero maintenance” and placing uptime, less corrective maintenance, and creative solutions like solar grazing at the top of a plant’s priority list, operations and maintenance costs can be greatly reduced.

ARRAY Technologies has been an innovator in the solar power industry, providing solutions that stress long term value and optimize performance. ARRAY produces robust solar trackers, but recognizes innovative O&M solutions, like adding sheep to the equation, are part of a flexible, adaptive strategy that can boost overall efficiency and reduce costs during the 25-30 year lifespan of a utility-scale PV solar plant.

 

Solar Grazing in Action

It’s a two-way street, as well – while providing cost-cutting efficiency for plant operators, solar grazing can provide an additional revenue stream for landowners who rent land to plants as opposed to moving flocks onto land already used for solar power. One thing is certain – the use of sheep for solar grazing is pushing into practice incentives and pilot programs around the globe as the industry looks to implement the most efficient O&M best practices.

Array’s DuraTrack® single-axis solar trackers have already begun taking part, being leveraged on a farm in Australia where Dubbo sheep grazer Tom Warren has leased some of his land to Neoen for a 20-megawatt solar farm. This strategy had diversified Warren’s income stream – in addition to wool production, he’s also collecting rent for the plant’s portion of the land.

At ARRAY, we’re all about maximizing production, and our DuraTrack® HZ v3 tracker delivers unprecedented value, reliability, durability, and quality.

We hope to see our best-in-class solutions popping up all around the world in solar grazing efforts as part of the industry’s push toward adopting the practice on a much larger scale.

 

How to Get Started?

The American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) is actively working to inform plant operators and farmers about the use of solar grazing and to promote the practice on solar installations.

Further, the ASGA facilitates research, best practices and more while also offering memberships and a tool to connect farmers with solar projects interested in employing solar grazing.

To learn more, contact the ASGA or reach out to ARRAY Technologies to find out how we can assist in improving your utility-scale solar plant operations and management practices.

Click here for other articles by this author
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Perspectives

Flocking to a Utility-Scale PV O&M Solution

Written by

Sheep grazing under solar panels with ARRAY trackers.

Operating and maintaining a utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant is a time-consuming and expensive proposition.

However, there’s been a unique innovation in PV plant operation – though it comes from a simple and decidedly old-school source.

 

Sheep’s New Role in Lowering PV Plant Operations and Maintenance Costs

You read that correctly. Sheep are now being used for landscaping duty on PV plant sites, merging the worlds of agriculture and solar power in a mutually beneficial way.

According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, utility-scale solar arrays could occupy three million acres of American land by 2030. This expansion is causing tension between the solar production industry and the livestock and farming industries that rely on acreage to be productive.

Instead of restricting the use of useful grazing land solely for solar energy production, the hybrid solution of solar grazing, as it’s known, to effectively landscape and manage array vegetation is an increasingly popular and cost-effective solution.

 

Why Solar Grazing?

In 2019, nearly 20 states were employing solar grazing to some degree, with that number expected to grow even further throughout 2020 – and for good reason.

In addition to allowing for greater access to key land for livestock farmers, solar grazing also carries many benefits for solar plant owners and operators.

According to a 2018 Atkinson Center report from Cornell University researchers, labor hours typically spent mechanically managing vegetation and utilizing pesticides were reduced with the use of solar grazing. In fact, 2.5 times fewer hours were needed.

The use of solar grazing also promotes environmental responsibility and reaffirms a plant’s commitment to sustainability. It could also come with incentives, particularly as it grows in popularity – Massachusetts already offers solar grazing incentives, and other states could follow suit shortly.

Sheep are the perfect animal for the job, as well. They’re small enough to fit under and around arrays, but don’t wreak the havoc that goats and other animals can cause, typically only grazing on what they’re supposed to – the vegetation.

There are certainly major considerations, particularly on the part of the flock’s owner, including rotating sheep to avoid overgrazing, avoiding brownfield sites that could harm animals, and more. But the benefits of practicing solar grazing outweigh this risk with careful forethought and planning.

 

Efficient Plant Design and Efficient O&M

For utility-scale PV plants, good design means taking into account every innovative strategy to reduce O&M costs from the onset of the project.

Solar grazing can be part of a holistic effort to reduce those costs, particularly when supplemented by other project decisions.

Choices made in design and component selection affect long-term O&M as well.

Choosing a tracker with a centralized architecture can significantly reduce long-term O&M costs associated with maintenance, as shorter-lifespan components like batteries, electromechanical devices, and more in decentralized tracker designs can drive up maintenance costs, especially after a typical 5-year warranty expires. So can the sheer number of components in decentralized solutions – the more parts, the more potential for failure and downtime.

By focusing on an ideal of “zero maintenance” and placing uptime, less corrective maintenance, and creative solutions like solar grazing at the top of a plant’s priority list, operations and maintenance costs can be greatly reduced.

ARRAY Technologies has been an innovator in the solar power industry, providing solutions that stress long term value and optimize performance. ARRAY produces robust solar trackers, but recognizes innovative O&M solutions, like adding sheep to the equation, are part of a flexible, adaptive strategy that can boost overall efficiency and reduce costs during the 25-30 year lifespan of a utility-scale PV solar plant.

 

Solar Grazing in Action

It’s a two-way street, as well – while providing cost-cutting efficiency for plant operators, solar grazing can provide an additional revenue stream for landowners who rent land to plants as opposed to moving flocks onto land already used for solar power. One thing is certain – the use of sheep for solar grazing is pushing into practice incentives and pilot programs around the globe as the industry looks to implement the most efficient O&M best practices.

Array’s DuraTrack® single-axis solar trackers have already begun taking part, being leveraged on a farm in Australia where Dubbo sheep grazer Tom Warren has leased some of his land to Neoen for a 20-megawatt solar farm. This strategy had diversified Warren’s income stream – in addition to wool production, he’s also collecting rent for the plant’s portion of the land.

At ARRAY, we’re all about maximizing production, and our DuraTrack® HZ v3 tracker delivers unprecedented value, reliability, durability, and quality.

We hope to see our best-in-class solutions popping up all around the world in solar grazing efforts as part of the industry’s push toward adopting the practice on a much larger scale.

 

How to Get Started?

The American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) is actively working to inform plant operators and farmers about the use of solar grazing and to promote the practice on solar installations.

Further, the ASGA facilitates research, best practices and more while also offering memberships and a tool to connect farmers with solar projects interested in employing solar grazing.

To learn more, contact the ASGA or reach out to ARRAY Technologies to find out how we can assist in improving your utility-scale solar plant operations and management practices.

Click here for other articles by this author