Dual Agrivoltaic Land Use Substantially Increases Community Support for Solar Developments
A comprehensive survey investigation examining public attitudes toward renewable energy infrastructure has revealed that integrating agricultural production directly with solar photovoltaic installations substantially bolsters local acceptance. According to findings published in Green Technology, Resilience, and Sustainability, an overwhelming 81.8 percent of surveyed community residents reported that they would be more likely to support a solar energy development in their vicinity if the facility co-located energy generation with agricultural operations. The study, conducted by researchers Alexis S. Pascaris, Chelsea Schelly, Mark Rouleau, and Joshua M. Pearce, sought to determine whether combining agricultural functions with photovoltaic arrays could directly mitigate local opposition and land-use conflicts that frequently impede utility-scale renewable deployment. Siting tensions have historically presented critical barriers to expanding ground-mounted solar arrays, as developers often compete for open, highly sunlit parcels that are already dedicated to farming. By measuring the marginal increase in public receptivity generated by dual-purpose systems, the authors established that community endorsement rises sharply when solar arrays are intentionally configured to sustain agricultural practices rather than displace them entirely.
The expansion of solar photovoltaic technology represents a central decarbonization mechanism for reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, yet its land-intensive character increasingly sparks localized land-use friction. Conventional agricultural land use and fossil-fuel-based energy generation remain predominant drivers of global emissions, making low-carbon alternatives essential. Although solar photovoltaic systems produce minimal operational emissions and have become among the most cost-effective electricity sources worldwide, spatial requirements pose significant planning hurdles. Researchers have noted that taking full advantage of optimal solar insolation inevitably drives development toward rural, open landscapes, with some projections indicating that solar deployment potential could be reduced by half in jurisdictions where prime agricultural land is strictly shielded from energy projects. Prior studies cited by the research team indicate that converting just under one percent of United States farmland could satisfy twenty percent of national electricity generation through agrivoltaic configurations, while dedicating one percent of global cropland could theoretically satisfy worldwide electrical demand. Without multifunctional designs, however, the encroachment of single-purpose solar farms onto productive soil routinely triggers resistance from nearby residents who fear the loss of community character, rural identity, and local agrarian productivity.
To rigorously evaluate how dual-use strategies alter public opinion, the investigators implemented a comparative cross-sectional survey across two distinct geographic jurisdictions in the central United States: Lubbock County, Texas, and Houghton County, Michigan. Purposive sampling was utilized to contrast areas possessing markedly divergent climatic regimes, physical geographies, and population densities, while maintaining broadly comparable sociodemographic baselines in age, education, and median household income. Lubbock County represents an arid Southwestern agricultural environment characterized by an estimated population of 308,392, a population density of 344.3 individuals per square mile, an average annual high temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, modest annual snowfall of 9 inches, and a daily solar irradiance averaging 4.3 kilowatt-hours per square meter. In contrast, Houghton County is situated in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, featuring a smaller population of 35,890, a density of 35.6 persons per square mile, an annual high temperature averaging 49 degrees Fahrenheit, substantial average snowfall reaching 208 inches, and an average solar irradiance of 4.0 kilowatt-hours per square meter accompanied by severe winter snow losses. This deliberate pairing allowed the researchers to test whether environmental and climatic disparities affect public attitudes toward the feasibility and desirability of agrivoltaic systems.
The data collection procedure was executed between October 2020 and January 2021 via a two-wave survey protocol combining physical mailings with an online completion option hosted through Qualtrics. To establish a rigorous sample frame of permanent residential property holders, the researchers obtained digital county landowner parcel registers from the Houghton County Tax Equalization Department and the Texas Natural Resources Information System. Commercial establishments, utility properties, industrial tracts, unoccupied agricultural parcels, and non-household institutions were systematically removed, after which a simple random sample of approximately 1,000 unique households per county was selected. The initial wave delivered an explanatory postcard containing an online access link, followed by a second wave delivering a printed questionnaire, return postage, and an upfront two-dollar cash incentive designed to improve participation. A total of 176 completed surveys were returned from the 2,012 sampled households, generating an aggregate response rate of 8.7 percent, consisting of 60 respondents from Lubbock County, 91 from Houghton County, and 25 respondents who omitted geographic identifiers. This sample yielded a calculated margin of error of 7 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval for the combined sample, with county-specific sampling errors of 12 percent for Lubbock and 10 percent for Houghton. Survey respondents skewed older, more educated, and wealthier than county medians, reflecting typical demographic attributes observed across rural landowner surveys.
Prior to conducting multivariate analyses, the researchers performed statistical analyses of variance across the resulting subgroups to determine whether regional location or residential classification introduced meaningful variations in perspective. The comparative analysis revealed that differences across county groupings regarding overall project support, planning factor importance, and underlying reasons for backing or opposing installations were negligible and lacked statistical significance. Furthermore, when respondents self-identified their neighborhood context as urban, suburban, or rural, recoding into a binary rural-versus-nonrural measure similarly failed to demonstrate statistically significant divergent viewpoints. This uniformity diverged from earlier literature suggesting that rural residents inherently exhibit greater opposition toward local renewable infrastructure than urban populations. Because statistical tests showed consistent and nearly identical response patterns across both counties and across residential settlement types, the researchers aggregated the full dataset into a unified analytical cohort. The absence of regional discrepancies allowed the inquiry to derive broader analytical generalizations regarding how landowner populations evaluate the trade-offs between traditional single-use solar installations and dual-use agrivoltaic alternatives.
The survey established that baseline public attitudes toward community solar development are already remarkably favorable, even before introducing dual-use configurations. Approximately 71.8 percent of all surveyed participants stated that they generally support solar development within their local jurisdiction, whereas only 6.8 percent explicitly opposed it. An intermediate group comprising 14.7 percent indicated that their support was conditional, selecting an option indicating that their approval depended on specific project circumstances. Qualitative explanations provided by these conditional respondents highlighted that their reservations were largely rooted in ideological opposition to government subsidies and taxpayer-funded financing mechanisms, rather than localized environmental or aesthetic impacts. However, when presented with the specific proposition of integrating agricultural food production beneath solar arrays, overall positive sentiment surged to 81.8 percent. This marked shift demonstrates that incorporating agricultural activity delivers a measurable marginal increase in public receptivity, directly expanding the base of community support beyond conventional ground-mounted photovoltaic systems and demonstrating the strategic utility of agrivoltaics in overcoming community resistance.
When comparing the specific development factors that influence public support for conventional solar versus agrivoltaic systems, the researchers identified nearly identical structural preferences across both models. Economic variables consistently emerged as the most influential determinants of public favorability. Providing additional revenue streams for local farmers garnered support or strong support from 89 percent of respondents under both conventional and agrivoltaic scenarios, while generating broader benefits for the local economy was endorsed by 91 percent for conventional solar and 88 percent for agrivoltaics. Siting factors similarly dictated opposition patterns in both development frameworks. Developing projects on land valued by the community, situating arrays on public property, or erecting panels within sight of private residential properties universally elevated opposition. For instance, opposition toward projects visible from personal property rose by 6 percent when an agricultural function was included, although this minor increase fell within the study’s 7 percent margin of error and was not statistically significant. Overall, the data indicate that public evaluations of energy infrastructure remain anchored in localized financial and siting considerations, regardless of system design.
When respondents were asked to prioritize specific planning objectives for future agrivoltaic installations on a four-point scale ranging from not at all important to extremely important, economic development again dominated community preferences. Designing projects to generate employment opportunities and spur local economic activity was ranked as extremely important by 66.5 percent of participants, while 55.7 percent emphasized the critical need to design projects that do not alter or threaten local community interests. Additionally, guaranteeing supplemental income for host farmers and securing lower utility electricity rates for local ratepayers were both cited as extremely important by identical 52.8 percent cohorts. When asked to select specific perceived benefits that would motivate their backing of an agrivoltaic project, 75 percent cited providing revenue to local farmers, 75 percent selected local food production, and 73 percent pointed to local job creation and capital investment. Strikingly, maximizing efficient land use was selected the least frequently among all potential benefits, indicating that public enthusiasm for agrivoltaics is driven primarily by tangible socioeconomic returns and agrarian preservation rather than abstract land-use efficiency metrics.
In examining perceived liabilities, nearly half of the sample expressed little apprehension regarding the implementation of dual-use installations. Specifically, 47 percent of participants indicated that they were not concerned about any of the potential development issues enumerated in the survey instrument. Among the minority who did identify specific concerns, procedural and distributive fairness proved far more prominent than physical impacts. The most prevalent concern, cited by 35 percent of respondents, involved the potential for unfair distribution of project economic benefits, reflecting public skepticism regarding whether external commercial developers would structure equitable partnerships with local agricultural hosts. Visual impact ranked as the second greatest concern at 19 percent, while all other potential problems, including ecological and operational risks, were selected by fewer than 15 percent of respondents. These findings underscore that maintaining transparent developer-farmer compensation models and establishing trustworthy business agreements will be essential for developers seeking to maintain host community good will.
To rigorously identify which specific factors drive marginal increases in support for agrivoltaics relative to conventional solar, the authors constructed multiple multivariate logistic regression models. In the model testing sociodemographic predictors, variables such as age, gender, education, income, and political affiliation failed to achieve statistical significance, likely due to sample size constraints. However, the regression model examining physical development attributes accounted for 41.1 percent of the variance in increased public support, yielding a Nagelkerke R-squared value of 0.41. Within this model, respondents who prioritized siting projects on existing agricultural land were roughly five times more likely to experience increased support for agrivoltaics over conventional arrays, showing an odds ratio beta of 4.94 at the 95 percent confidence level. Conversely, individuals opposed to siting energy facilities on public property were four times less likely to exhibit increased support, registering an odds ratio beta of 0.25. Support for construction by local companies also emerged as significant below the 95 percent confidence level, with an odds ratio beta of 0.18. A companion regression analyzing development concerns accounted for 41.9 percent of variance, revealing that respondents opposed to any local land development were 37 times less likely to increase their support, whereas unconcerned participants were 11.7 times more likely to favor agrivoltaics.
The study also explored consumer attitudes toward novel agricultural applications by surveying receptivity to rabbit-based agrivoltaic farming. Overall, 44.4 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that rabbits represent an acceptable dietary meat source, and 30.7 percent indicated they would be more inclined to purchase rabbit meat if it were pasture-raised underneath solar panels, showing notable openness toward dual-use agricultural commodities. The authors noted several analytical limitations, acknowledging that using conceptual descriptions rather than specific local parcels limited their capacity to assess localized place-attachment or exact proximity impacts. Furthermore, future investigations could evaluate community reactions to specific racking structures, such as vertical bifacial panels, wood-based mounting systems, or fence-mounted arrays, as well as emerging aquatic floatovoltaic designs. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that because 81.8 percent of participants express heightened support for combined energy and agricultural production, agrivoltaics offer a viable pathway to accelerate solar deployment. Policymakers and land-use planners can leverage zoning tools, including overlay districts and conditional agricultural use permits, to ensure solar developers protect agricultural integrity, distribute economic gains equitably, and sustain community trust.
Subject of Research: Public perceptions and community support for agrivoltaic solar energy systems
Article Title: Do agrivoltaics improve public support for solar? A survey on perceptions, preferences, and priorities
Article References: Pascaris, A. S., Schelly, C., Rouleau, M., & Pearce, J. M. (2022). Do agrivoltaics improve public support for solar? A survey on perceptions, preferences, and priorities. Green Technology, Resilience, and Sustainability, 2(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44173-022-00007-x
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s44173-022-00007-x
Keywords: agrivoltaics, solar energy, public perceptions, renewable energy siting, land use planning, agricultural communities, energy policy, social acceptance, improve, public, support, solar
News Source: Faith Mcneil. (November 8, 2026). Dual Agrivoltaic Land Use Substantially Increases Community Support for Solar Developments. Scienmag.
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