When people can’t sleep, they tend to count sheep. Well, TECO wants its customers to get a good night’s sleep, so it brought back its Lamb Cam.
“Lamb Cam debuted in 2019, and it was so popular—among our most popular posts ever—that some customers count sheep until it returns,” said TECO’s Cherie Jacobs. “And now it’s back.”
TECO’s rented Katahdin sheep are flocking to TECO’s new solar fields at its Big Bend Solar site in Apollo Beach to maintain the fields. Grazing sheep provide significant cost savings over traditional mechanical lawn mowers and they are better for the environment.
“This is the third year for Lamb Cam,” Jacobs said. “When we started, the sheep had been on-site for about a year and the team was excited to see the babies during lamb season. We thought our customers might enjoy seeing the baby lambs too.”
Lamb Cam will feature footage of newborn lambs on Facebook Live from the Big Bend Solar site.
“We have a few more babies this year, at least 50 so far,” Jacobs said. “Last year, we had about 40 babies. There seems to be a higher occurrence of triplets this year. Tampa Electric doesn’t own the lambs; we just employ them. They are rented sheep that help us keep the grass short.”
The sheep have adequate food, water, shade and shelter. A team of experts monitor their health several times a week. Tampa Electric has installed fencing to keep out most predators. This breed of sheep has hair, not wool, so they are better suited for Florida’s climate.
“Our solar fields come in all shapes and sizes and all of them will benefit from our furry friends,” Jacobs said. “As of this month, Tampa Electric has about seven percent of its energy generated from the sun, which is the highest percentage of solar generation of any utility in the state.”
Lamb Cam is extremely popular on TECO’s Facebook page.
“Lamb Cam is very popular, among our most popular posts ever,” Jacobs said. “We have viewers from around the world, including some ‘super fans’ that count the days until Lamb Cam starts every year. In this crazy time we live in, who doesn’t need a moment of zen? Lamb Cam is a lovely, pastoral experience. You can listen to the lambs, the birds, the wind and even an occasional passing train. It is very calming.”
If you would like to watch TECO’s Lamb Cam, you can visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tampaelectric.
