Alberta Solar Farm Combines Hay, Sheep and Honey Production
November 2, 2026 | Electrification, Alberta, News
A 75-megawatt project near Airdrie is testing whether utility-scale solar can coexist with agriculture on the same land.
A 75-megawatt solar farm near Airdrie, Alberta, is continuing to produce hay, support sheep grazing and host honeybees, offering a working example of how electricity generation can coexist with agriculture.
Mark Owerko, whose company owns the 448-acre property, told Energi Talks that preserving the site’s agricultural value was central to the project’s design. The company had owned the land since 2008 and identified an opportunity for solar development because of a nearby 138-kilovolt transmission line.
“We wanted to continue to be good stewards of the land,” Owerko said.
Agrivoltaics Keeps Hay Production Going
The company designed the solar project to retain hay harvesting rather than convert the entire property exclusively to electricity production. Owerko said about 20 per cent of the soil was disturbed during construction, an approach intended to protect agricultural productivity and limit future weed problems.
The installation uses single-axis tracking equipment, with panels moving from east to west as sunlight changes. The layout permits machinery to operate between the solar structures.
Owerko described the farm as an unusual undertaking for a solar developer because the company owns the land rather than leasing it from another landowner. That ownership gave it a particular incentive to preserve the property’s long-term value.
Sheep Reduce the Cost of Vegetation Control
About 260 sheep graze in a roughly 60-acre fenced paddock on the northern side of the property. Owerko said grazing began with approximately 60 animals after the company found that some terrain and setbacks made hay harvesting difficult.
The sheep eat weeds and grass that otherwise require mowing or other management. While the grazing lease is not especially lucrative, Owerko said the arrangement offsets labour, equipment and fuel costs associated with vegetation control.
He also said the flock benefits from shade provided by the panels, although the interview did not provide independent measurements of animal health or productivity.
Solar Economics and a Model for Other Developers
Owerko described the solar project as financially viable despite what he called historically low Alberta power prices. Its first-year returns were modest, he said, but acceptable to shareholders.
The company also worked with an agronomist and engaged regulators and local stakeholders on its land-management commitments. Owerko said other developers have visited the site and that the company is willing to share its experience without treating the methods as proprietary.
The experiment extends beyond hay and sheep. According to Owerko, more than two million honeybees are now on the property, and the operation produced more than 1,000 pounds of honey last year. The company is also considering greenhouses or vertical farming on an unused eight-acre construction yard.
Alberta’s regulatory debate has often framed renewable electricity and agricultural land as competing priorities. Owerko’s project does not prove agrivoltaics will work everywhere, but it demonstrates that the relationship between farming and solar development can be more flexible than that argument suggests.