Opportunities and Barriers for Agrivoltaics on Tribal Lands

Abstract

Recent federal legislation, like the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, has led to a push for more solar energy on Tribal lands, increasing competition for already limited agricultural land. Agrivoltaics is an innovative technology with the potential to lessen the tradeoffs between agriculture production and solar energy generation. This study investigates the opportunities and barriers for agrivoltaics on Tribal lands through expert qualitative interviews with Tribal agriculture professionals that inform geospatial suitability analysis of physical characteristics. Qualitative results indicate agrivoltaics on Tribal lands could contribute positively to food sovereignty, energy sovereignty, and economic development goals for Tribes; on the other hand, Tribal agriculture professionals have technical, economic, siting, and socioecological concerns that should be addressed through future work. Quantitatively, we find up to 15 million acres of Tribal agricultural land may be feasible for micro-grid agrivoltaics, with 7 million acres in sufficient proximity to existing transmission lines to tie into the grid. The leading states for Tribal agrivoltaics by land area are South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona, each home to Tribes with large land bases and a strong agricultural economy. This work aims to inform Tribal land managers, policymakers, and researchers on the opportunities and barriers for agrivoltaics on Tribal lands.