Think about a scenario: the temperature reaches 95°F in rural Texas, the sun is at its worst, and a herd of sheep strolls across an array of solar panels, ducking between the rows as though going through a drive-thru, and basically, chilling out there for hours on end. This pattern of behavior is now backed by a peer-reviewed study from São Paulo State University in Brazil, a phenomenon that has shifted how Americans perceive solar panel farms. According to the 2023 paper “Shade of solar panels relieves heat load of sheep,” published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, researchers equipped nine Corriedale ewes with temperature loggers and followed their movements for 20 days straight.
The science behind the shade
