A group of sheep on farmland in the American state of Texas work together to complete a job: eating the grass growing beneath hundreds of solar panels.
美国得克萨斯州农田里的一群羊共同完成一项工作：吃掉数百块太阳能电池板下生长的草。
Sheep have become a symbol of a growing solar industry as large-scale solar farms appear across the United States.
由于大型太阳能农场出现在美国，绵羊已成为不断发展的太阳能行业的象征。
In Milam County, Texas, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country. It can produce 900 megawatts of power across 1,618 hectares.
Energy 在德克萨斯州米拉姆县运营着该国第五大太阳能项目。它占地 1,618 公顷，可发电 900 兆瓦。
So, how does the company deal with all the grass that grows on such a large piece of land? It deploys about 3,000 sheep that keep the grass cover low. Sheep, unlike devices such as lawnmowers, can fit between small spaces and work in all kinds of weather conditions.
那么，该公司如何处理在如此大的土地上生长的所有草？它部署了约3,000只绵羊，使草覆盖较低。与割草机等设备不同，绵羊可以适合小空间，并在各种天气条件下工作。
The work of the sheep, and sometimes other animals, is called solar grazing. It is considered part of the larger idea of agrivoltaics --- the use of land for both solar energy production and agriculture.
绵羊，有时甚至其他动物的工作称为太阳放牧。它被认为是Agrivoltaics更大概念的一部分 - - 将土地用于太阳能生产和农业。
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that solar grazing may help the environment in several ways. These include making grassy areas safer for wild animals, like nesting ground birds, and by reducing fuel use and air pollution.
美国农业部表示，太阳能放牧可以通过多种方式改善环境。其中包括使草地对野生动物（例如筑巢的地面鸟类）更加安全，以及减少燃料使用和空气污染。
Agrivoltaics is on the rise with more than 60 solar grazing projects in the U.S., the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says. The American Solar Grazing Association says 27 states take part in solar grazing.
国家可再生能源实验室说，Agrivoltaics在美国有60多个太阳能放牧项目正在上升。美国太阳能放牧协会说，有27个州参加了太阳能放牧。
Putting the animals to work on solar fields also provides some help to the sheep and wool market, which has struggled in recent years. The number of sheep and lambs in Texas fell to 655,000 in January 2024, a 4 percent drop from the year before. That information comes from the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
让动物在太阳能发电场工作也为近年来陷入困境的绵羊和羊毛市场提供了一些帮助。2024 年 1 月，德克萨斯州的绵羊和羔羊数量下降至 655,000 只，比上年下降 4%。该信息来自美国农业部的最新数据。
Because solar fields use sunny, flat land that is often good for animals to eat grass on, the power plants have been used in cooperation with farmers rather than against them.
由于太阳能田使用晴朗，平坦的土地，通常适合动物在上面吃草，因此发电厂已与农民合作而不是与它们合作。
Sheep farmer JR Howard accidentally found himself in the middle of Texas’ move to clean energy. In 2021, he and his family began working with solar farms. Howard’s sheep ate the grass on these large areas of land.
养羊户 JR 霍华德 (JR Howard) 意外地发现自己正处于德克萨斯州向清洁能源转型的过程中。2021 年，他和家人开始从事太阳能发电场的工作。霍华德的羊吃掉了这大片土地上的草。
What was once a small business has turned into a larger operation with more than 8,000 sheep and 26 employees.
曾经的小企业现已发展成为拥有 8,000 多只羊和 26 名员工的大型企业。
“Just the growth has been kind of crazy for us,” said Howard, who named his company Texas Solar Sheep. “It’s been great for me and my family.”
“这种增长对我们来说有点疯狂，”霍华德说，他将自己的公司命名为“Texas Solar Sheep”。“这对我和我的家人来说都很棒。”
Some agriculture experts say Howard’s success shows how solar farms have become a big help for some ranchers.
一些农业专家表示，霍华德的成功表明太阳能农场如何为一些牧场主提供了很大的帮助。
Reid Redden is a sheep farmer and solar vegetation manager in San Angelo, Texas. Redden said a successful sheep business requires agricultural land that has become increasingly hard to find.
里德·雷登 (Reid Redden) 是德克萨斯州圣安吉洛的一名养羊户和太阳能植被经理。雷登说，成功的养羊业需要农业用地，而农业用地已经变得越来越难找到。
“Solar grazing is probably the biggest opportunity that the sheep industry had in the United States in several generations,” Redden said.
“太阳能放牧可能是美国养羊业几代人以来所拥有的最大机会，”雷登说。
Redden suggested that people in the rural communities near where he raises sheep have been very positive about solar grazing.
雷登表示，他养羊的地方附近的农村社区的人们对太阳能放牧非常积极。
Agrivoltaics itself is not new. Solar farms use a lot of land and require a lot of space that could be used for food production.
Agrivoltaics本身并不是什么新鲜事物。太阳能农场使用大量土地，需要大量可用于粮食生产的空间。
Agrivoltaics helps with the problem by permitting the two industries to coexist, whether growing food or caring for livestock.
Agrivoltaics通过允许两个行业共存，无论是种植食物还是照顾牲畜，可以帮助解决问题。
There is a lot still unknown about the full effects of solar grazing, said Nuria Gomez-Casanovas of Texas A&M University.
德克萨斯农工大学的Nuria Gomez-Casanovas说，太阳能放牧的全部影响仍然不明。
Not enough studies have been done to know the long-term environmental effects, such as how good the soil will be for future agriculture. However, Gomez-Casanovas suspects solar grazing may improve sheep productivity.
目前还没有足够的研究来了解长期的环境影响，例如土壤对未来农业的有利程度。然而，戈麦斯-卡萨诺瓦斯怀疑太阳能放牧可能会提高羊的生产力。
“We really have more questions than answers,” Gomez-Casanovas said.
戈麦斯 - 卡萨诺瓦斯说：“我们的问题比答案要多。”
