Caribbean Agrivoltaic Systems and Community Solar as Climate Adaptation

• Previn Langham, Environmental Studies, University of Delaware

• Lindsay Naylor, Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware

Building on preliminary research from July 2025, we investigate social impacts of community-scale electricity generation on the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and Jamaica. In recent years, agrivoltaics, or the integration of solar energy systems among agricultural production, has expanded globally, most recently to the Caribbean, with a first-of-its-kind project in Puerto Rico beginning to generate power in July 2025. In this work, we conducted interviews with experts in the field, community agriculture organizations, and farmers implementing these systems. We examine the state of these systems in the Caribbean at large, including comparable domestic energy grid insufficiencies, and the role that community action plays in a region experiencing an increased frequency and intensity of climate disasters. These disasters have weakened electrical grids and created inconsistent access to electricity for these communities. Jamaica and Puerto Rico’s electrical grids have faced increased public scrutiny in the wake of several large-scale hurricanes since 2017, which we argue may impact local communities’ reliance on and appetite for agrivoltaic and community solar development.