Woke Sheep Exposing Anti-Renewables Nonsense

I saw these sheep at a solar farm between Glenrowan and Benalla yesterday on my #eBike4Australia ride to Melbourne. They were munching contentedly on grass under solar panels, enjoying the shade on a warm spring day. I thought to myself “woke sheep” sheltering under renewables! But in reality they're a glimpse of Australia’s smart, sustainable future. Because the truth is: sheep and solar panels go brilliantly together.

It’s actually called agrivoltaics - combining agriculture with solar energy. And in Australia, sheep are the stars of the show. They keep the grass neatly trimmed around the panels, preventing overgrowth and reducing fire risk, while still producing wool and lamb. In return, the panels give them shade, shelter and cooler ground - a welcome relief in our increasingly hot and unpredictable climate.

Farmers benefit too. Instead of giving up good land to solar, they get a new, steady income stream from hosting panels while still farming the same paddocks. The solar companies save money on mowing and maintenance. The grass stays greener for longer because the panels reduce evaporation and trap moisture. And the sheep are happier and more productive - with cleaner fleeces, less heat stress, and higher wool yields.

Victorian farmers report carrying more sheep per hectare and producing top-quality wool with solar panels. In some places, soil under panels in summar can be as much as ten degrees cooler. It’s practical, profitable, and regenerative - everything that good farming should be.

What’s amusing is how ideologues on the anti-renewables fringe keep ignoring facts like these. They rant about solar “taking over farmland” or “destroying agriculture,” when the reality is the opposite. Solar grazing proves renewable energy and farming can complement each other beautifully.

It’s not about ideology - it’s about ideas and logic. And logic tells us that a piece of land producing clean power and high-quality wool is better than one doing just one or the other.

So these so-called “woke sheep” aren’t actually climate cult leftists! They’re just doing what animals have always done: adapting, thriving, and making the best use of their environment. It’s a pity some humans aren’t as smart.

Woke Sheep near Glenrowan