Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the practitioners who contributed to this project, including but not limited to: Aimee Delach from the Center for Conservation Innovation and Defenders of Wildlife; Brooke L. Bateman from the National Audubon Society; Joshua Ennen from The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute; and Tara Conkling from the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center and U.S. Geological Survey. Funding for this project was provided by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant No. G-2022-17177. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government. The focus group and analysis described in this report were organized and implemented by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and were not conducted on behalf of the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Condon, D., Levin, M.O., Smith, A.B. et al. Practitioner perceptions of biodiversity criteria for solar suitability analyses in the United States. npj biodivers (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-026-00133-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-026-00133-w
