Volkswagen Chattanooga Uses Sheep And Donkeys To Maintain Solar Farm

Automakers need a lot of workers to operate and, as it turns out, not all of those workers are always humans. Volkswagen USA’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant currently employs 4,000 human workers and a herd of 50 sheep that are assigned to help with its solar project.

Built in 2013, Volkswagen’s solar park is among the largest fields of solar panels operated by an automaker in the U.S. The 9.5-megawatt system provides 12.5 percent of the plant’s electric needs during full production thanks to its 33,600 solar modules spread over an area of 33 acres next to the Tennessee factory.