Gillard Solar, an approved solar farm just east of Gardner, is seeking a modification to its permitting to allow sheep to graze under the panels at its solar farms.

The Grundy County Land Use Committee mulled over the idea during a meeting last Wednesday. The grazing would be an agrivoltaic, which means it would be a dual use of the land for solar energy and agriculture.

Land Use Director Heidi Miller said the farm provides five megawatts of power on 30.14 acres of land.

“Grundy County does not have an actual ordinance on sheep grazing as an agrivoltaic,” Miller said. “However, that does not mean you cannot look at this as a method to actual vegetation management for the solar farm itself.”

Miller said Cornell University researched it, and their summary discussed veterinary care of the livestock, and said the manager and shepherd have to check on their animals to make sure they have proper nutrition and water.

She said the Zoning Board of Appeals gave a positive recommendation.

“The sheep themselves use the solar panels,” Miller said. “The solar panels, they’re tilt type, so they move with the sun. They move very slowly so the sheep keep moving along with that shadow and sit in the shade.”

Drew Muffler, the Grundy County Board chairman, does not have a vote on the Land Use Committee, but he said he believes this would be a liability.

“I think we need to come up with our own language that we don’t have,” Muffler said. “We have a lot of solar farms that are popping up. Sheep are cheaper than landscapers. We’re about to see all kinds of sheep coming into the county if we start to open up that flood gate.”

The Land Use Committee voted to table discussion on the topic, for now.