Practitioner perceptions of biodiversity criteria for solar suitability analyses in the United States
Acceleration of large-scale solar energy deployment can pose competition for land with biodiversity conservation areas. Solar suitability analyses (SSAs) help identify low-conflict zones for solar development, yet limited work defines which biodiversity-relevant criteria (BRCs) are essential for SSAs or whether supporting data are available. We convened a United States-based Delphi panel of practitioners with expertise in biodiversity and renewable energy to identify BRCs that are essential across SSAs ('core') and data- or scale-limited ('peripheral'). Practitioners identified 16 core and 13 peripheral BRCs. Core criteria primarily aligned with regulatory frameworks, while peripheral BRCs reflected context-dependent ecological attributes lacking consistent and scalable data. Open-access data were available for 14 core criteria across 10 databases. Our assessment of US-based SSAs revealed that 10 included core BRCs. Our findings indicate a need for improved access to fine-scale biodiversity data and coordination with agencies to improve SSAs.
Authors
- Freya Robinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8598-2466)
- Emma Forester (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4278-4865)
- Toni Lyn Morelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5865-5294)
- Rebecca R. Hernandez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8031-2949)
- Elizabeth L. Kalies (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7749-6647)
- Daphne Condon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-4045)
- Grace C. Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8290-119X)
- Meaghan R. Gade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7309-5934)
- Noah Z. Krasner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4928-3920)
- Benjamin P. Narwold
- Chevon Holmes
- Roland Kays
- Michael O. Levin
- Adam B. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6420-1659)
Institutions
- The Nature Conservancy (US)
- United States Geological Survey (US)
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (US)
- North Carolina State University (US)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
- North Central State College (US)
- Missouri Botanical Garden (US)
- University of California System (US)
- Sustainability Institute (ZA)
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (US)
- Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (US)
- Climate Adaptation Science Centers (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- University of California, Davis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Biodiversity
- Published
- 2026-05-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-026-00133-w
- Primary Topic
- Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation