Community scale solar electricity for rural communities: Designing for resilience, access, and identity

Community Solar is a relatively new model for a solar electricity system where generation is centralized in one community-based location while costs and benefits are distributed across voluntary owners who choose to buy shares... [ view full abstract ]

Community Solar is a relatively new model for a solar electricity system where generation is centralized in one community-based location while costs and benefits are distributed across voluntary owners who choose to buy shares (and receive credits) in the community-owned system. Community Solar is gaining increasing attention across the United States because of its potential to increase access to renewable energy and to democratize energy governance. It may be particularly significant for rural communities, as they face the combined challenges of economic vulnerability and limited resiliency, but most current Community Solar projects are located in larger urban areas and in relatively wealthy communities. This paper utilizes a mixed methods approach to explore opportunities and challenges associated with Community Solar adoption in two economically disadvantaged rural communities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Our research team collaborated with community organizations to explore potential design scenarios that would ensure technical and financial feasibility while also increasing access for low to moderate income households and build community identity. These cases highlight some of the challenges that emerge during efforts to promote renewable energy transitions. They also provide a set of strategies for integrating community members into decision-making so that programs can adequately reflect specific community needs, take advantage of existing social capital, and correspond to community values. Building creative community partnerships and integrating community participation increase a community’s ability to surmount challenges to solar PV technology adoption. Ultimately, the project goal is to utilize the results of this comparative case study to build a replicable model for community solar technology projects to improve rural communities’ resilience and more equitable access to less carbon intensive energy sources while also articulating and bolstering rural community identity.