Volkswagen uses sheep to maintain solar farm at Polish plant

Volkswagen's manufacturing site near Poznań, Poland, opened in 2016 and employs roughly 3,000 workers producing the Crafter van. In 2019 the company added a 27‑hectare solar power plant with about 31,000 photovoltaic panels. The solar array supplies the plant with all electricity on sunny days and roughly 25 % of its total annual consumption.

Around 100 sheep have been introduced to graze the vegetation between the panels. The herd, managed by owner Justyna Nowak‑Gajek, naturally splits into smaller groups, allowing the grass to be kept short without mechanical mowers. Researchers from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań study the impact of this agrivoltaic system on animal welfare, biodiversity, soil quality and micro‑climate, aiming to identify solutions that integrate renewable energy production with agriculture.

The project is presented as a cost‑saving and emissions‑reducing measure while providing data for broader adoption of agrivoltaics. Concurrently, Volkswagen has announced plans that could see up to 140,000 jobs eliminated worldwide as the automaker navigates a broader restructuring.