Social Impacts of Agrivoltaic Systems in Puerto Rico

• Previn Langham, Geography, University of Delaware

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

Several studies have reported on the efficacy of agrivoltaic systems at large, but not on the social impacts that these development decisions have on the people in the regions in which they are implemented. Agrivoltaics, or the integration of solar energy systems among agriculture, has expanded globally, most recently to the Caribbean, with a first-of-its-kind project on the island of Puerto Rico beginning to generate power in July 2025. Through interviews with farmers implementing agrivoltaic systems, farmers in surrounding areas, and experts in this growing industry, we investigate the impacts that agrivoltaic implementation has on farmer workload and practices, in addition to community-wide changes that agrivoltaics may bring about. These include the impacts that new solar development may have on community power grids, specifically in locations like Puerto Rico, which experiences consistent and ongoing power outages as an effect of a public-private energy partnership that arose after Hurricane Maria, as well as how corporate involvement, more specifically the involvement of corporations from the United States in renewable energy development may impact people and their communities. Alongside growth in agrivoltaic systems development, there has also been a growing popularity in community solar operations, which do not provide the agricultural benefits of agrivoltaic systems but may be more easily accessed by communities. Research into the social impacts of this growing industry and practice can inform future development decisions to ensure maximum sustainable crop yields and farmer and community wellbeing.