Study IDs Reasons for Opposition to Renewable Energy Projects

To reach the federal government's goal of net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050, one focus has been making utility-scale renewable energy projects more economically viable to decarbonize the power sector. Government subsidies and tax credits have made renewable energy projects more competitive with fossil fuel-fired electric generation.

However, more than market pressure affects the development of renewable energy projects for electric generation. In many cases, residents of the local communities where these projects are proposed have opposed them for a number of reasons. This often leads to significant delays, and in many cases can result in the cancellation of such projects.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have now documented specific reasons for local opposition, by analyzing 53 cases in 28 states, focusing particularly on projects involving wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The aggregate of the cases the researchers looked at equated to almost 10,000 MW in potential production of energy - enough to power over 8,000,000 households or a city the size of San Francisco for 10 years. The researchers also made several recommendations for mitigating that opposition and identified policy implications that contribute to it.

Researchers were able to identify seven different recurring themes regarding sources of opposition: concerns about environmental impact; financing and revenue generation challenges; perceptions of unfair or inadequate public participation given regulatory requirements; tribal rights issues; health and safety concerns; intergovernmental disputes, and impacts on land and property values.

In nearly 80% of cases, more than one source of conflict was cited, indicating that opposition is often multifaceted and involve several concerns, such ecological and health issues that also raise land value concerns.

More specifically, concerns about land value have been found in 62% of the cases, and environmental impact in 60%. Taken together, those two concerns affected nearly 50% of the total generating capacity proposed for development in the study’s sample cases.

The researchers found just one source of opposition in just 21% of the cases, and two or three sources in a combined 62%. The study also found that local opposition is often driven by residents whose concerns reflect personal interests, and not disapproval of renewable energy in general.

While projects affected by just one source of opposition are not generally stopped, almost half of the sample projects ended up being canceled, the researchers noted.

The researchers concluded that it is important to incorporate stakeholders’ perspectives from the outset of the siting process in order to minimize opposition. It is “better to deal with perceptions of possible risks and potential benefits before opponents have made up their minds, and banded together, to block the project,” the study states. While the perceptions may not be rooted in evidence, they still need to be taken seriously. “”If ignored, they can trigger wider opposition and ultimately delay or block what many might view as valuable projects.”

The team also questioned whether regulatory systems in the U.S. are suited to reviewing the rapidly growing number of renewable energy projects, noting overlapping and inconsistent regulations at the state and local level that can amplify local controversies.

If the rapid increase in utility-scale renewable electric projects is to continue, siting solutions must be found to minimize the impact to local communities and provide benefits that outweigh perceived costs.