PV-Success

Overview of Sociocultural Research

The PV-SuCCESS project will evaluate the impact on and opportunities for improvements of ecosystem services for communities hosting large- or community-scale solar development.  

“Ecosystem services” includes both physical services (habitat, water quality, soil health) and cultural services (viewshed, spiritual, recreational, economic base). PV-SuCCESS will conduct research on both ecosystem elements: the first through field research on existing or proposed solar sites and the second by engaging host community decision makers, regulators, and community members on their priorities and concerns for cultural services affected by solar development.  

The cultural research will be conducted from three perspectives:

  • Rural counties and cities hosting solar development
  • State agencies with cultural service responsibilities
  • Tribal nations hosting or investigating hosting solar development.  

Community Participation

GPI is partnering with the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) at the University of Minnesota Extension to work with communities and/or community-based organizations to investigate and document the priorities of their community regarding cultural ecosystem services and solar development, such as priority given to agriculture, natural resources or systems, and community character and viewsheds. GPI/CERTs will also investigate related biological ecosystem priorities that communities have, such as surface and groundwater protection, habitat for game species and pollination service, soil health, and conservation. Identifying these priorities will help define what decision tools would be most useful for both local decision makers or regulators and solar developers in shaping how solar development is sited and designed.  

Four Types of Community Engagement

For cultural engagement and cultural perspectives, sociocultural research will be applied. This research applies the view that all learning and development happens as part of a social interaction process. This principle will be applied to obtain cultural perspectives from stakeholders and other host community groups. The following methods will be used:

  • Community workshops
  • Focus groups
  • Interviews
  • Surveys

GPI and CERTs are working with communities and tribal nations in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.