Green Energy Research Addresses Indigenous Needs

University of Oklahoma professor Diana Denham is leading a research project to co-design renewable agricultural and ecological systems that reflect the knowledge and priorities of Indigenous community partners.

“There’s a national push for a sustainable energy transition, with solar and wind being a major focus. But, as you can imagine, solar panels require a lot of land,” Denham said. “With new research in agrivoltaics, the same land can be used for energy production and agriculture as well as other environmental planning goals.”

Agrivoltaics refers to land use for both solar panels and agriculture. Most research in agrivoltaic systems has examined ways farmers can boost their income by balancing the benefits and compromises between growing crops or raising animals and generating solar power. Denham’s team is exploring how integrating the knowledge and values of Indigenous communities can expand the possibilities of this emerging technology. 

Denham, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, OU College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, studies how Indigenous and marginalized communities assert autonomy through struggles over environmental resources. She leads this project, funded by a Growing Convergence Research grant from the National Science Foundation, alongside researchers from the University of Utah and Portland State University.

“We’re working with community researchers from Pawnee Nation in Oklahoma and Unixhidza, an Autonomous Zapotec university in Oaxaca, Mexico, to understand their specific priorities for crop production, energy production and environmental restoration,” Denham said.

The team, which includes mechanical engineers, plant biologists and Indigenous community researchers with backgrounds in farming and environmental restoration, will examine how energy can be produced in conjunction with other goals such as prairie restoration, culturally significant plant cultivation, water conservation and even pollinator habitats.

The Pawnee community partner is interested in renewable energy in part to help run their Seed Preservation Project, which requires substantial energy to keep their seed collections cold. Pawnee Keeper of the Seeds Deb Echo-Hawk is working alongside Denham’s team to incorporate knowledge from local farmers, students at the Pawnee Nation College and environmental planners.