Mon Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has introduced sheep for vegetation maintenance at a solar power plant adjacent to the Fort Martin coal-fired power plant in Maidsville, West Virginia.

We are managing this website in an innovative way that combines renewable energy and agriculture to benefit our community, "said Dan Rossero, Vice President of FirstEnergy West Virginia Power Company. Solar powered grazing allows us to maintain efficient website operation while supporting local farmers and reducing our environmental footprint. By collaborating with sheep farmers and promoting solar energy, we are generating positive impacts far beyond the fence.

The Fort Martin solar station, which will begin operation in early 2024, has been contracted by Mon Power with Sivic LLC, a solar graters company led by Nate Dean and Luci Mosesso, located in Pocahontas County.

Approximately 350 sheep have grazed the entire autumn season at this location. Sivic moves his flock on the property every four to six days and uses temporary fences to ensure that the vegetation on the entire property is consistently trimmed. As vegetation growth slows down, sheep will stay on farms in Pocahontas County during winter and return to solar powered locations in spring.

This is a way to regenerate and manage vegetation on a site that serves as a renewable energy source, "Dean said.

The 18.9-megawatt Martinburg solar station is the first site developed as part of the Mon Power and Potomac Edison solar program, which involves developing solar projects on brownfield or affected industrial properties. At two additional sites in Marion County and Berkeley County, these two companies have 30 megawatts of solar capacity.

Through the solar energy program, Mon Power and Potomac Edison customers in West Virginia who support renewable energy can purchase Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) - certificates that represent the environmental properties of solar energy and prove that solar energy is generated on the buyer's half.