At Volkswagen’s Chattanooga factory, one of the workers keeping a solar site running has four legs and a rescue story.
According to The Pulse, the 66-acre site includes a 9.5-megawatt solar installation with 33,600 panels that help power production at the automaker’s manufacturing facility. At peak output, the array provides about 12.5 percent of the plant’s electricity and supports assembly of the ID.4 electric SUV.
The site depends on a land management system built around a flock of 50 sheep and a rescued donkey named Burrito.
The arrangement is part of a broader effort by Volkswagen and solar company Silicon Ranch to make the industrial solar field into what the industry often describes as an agrivoltaic or regenerative energy site, one that generates electricity while improving the way the land is cared for.
The practical problem was vegetation. Large solar farms need regular control of grass and brush so plants do not block sunlight, raise fire risk or create maintenance problems.
At Chattanooga, conventional mowing had drawbacks. Heavy machinery could damage infrastructure, including inverters and sensitive cabling. Fuel-powered equipment also brought pollution and the risk of hydraulic fluid leaks into the local water table.
Instead, operators brought in sheep to manage plant growth beneath the panels. The animals keep vegetation in check without compacting soil the way heavy equipment can. Their grazing helps reduce erosion and lower fire risk, while their movement and manure support healthier soil.
But the sheep needed protection from predators, including coyotes and bobcats.
That is where Burrito came in. The Pulse reported the donkey was a stray rescue before arriving at the site. Donkeys are known for staying alert around herd animals and often respond aggressively to canine threats.
On the solar farm, that instinct turned Burrito into the flock’s guardian. Workers say he treats the property as his territory, memorising the layout of the panel rows and steel posts while regularly checking the perimeter. Before the sheep enter a section to graze, Burrito inspects the area first. If something unfamiliar appears, he reacts quickly.
Together, the sheep and donkey handle two jobs at once. The sheep manage the vegetation, and Burrito protects them so the process can continue without constant human oversight.
According to The Pulse, the regenerative model used at Volkswagen’s solar site is now helping inform management across roughly 15,000 acres of solar land in the United States.
At the Tennessee factory, Burrito has become, as The Pulse described, “one of the site’s key workers”.
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