Solar grazing: ‘triple-win’ for sheep farmers, renewables and society or just a PR exercise for energy companies?

Hannah Thorogood, a Lincolnshire sheep farmer, says solar grazing has helped her expand her flock significantly. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

On a blustery Lincolnshire morning, Hannah Thorogood paused between two ranks of solar panels. Her sheep nosedived into the grass under their shelter and began to graze.

“When I first started out, 18 acres and 20 sheep was as much as I could afford,” said the first-generation farmer. “Now, because I can graze this land for free, I have 250 acres and over 200 sheep. Solar grazing has given me a massive leg-up.”