A new report from the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2) has revealed preferences among rural Americans for certain potential benefits the developers of large scale solar projects can provide to local communities through Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs).
The report, titled “Rural Perspectives on Large Scale Solar,” contains data from nearly 5,200 surveys of rural Americans in 47 states conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The data suggests that respondents were nearly 21% more likely to support projects that result in direct reductions to electricity bills than they were to support projects with no local benefits planned.
Investment in schools, health initiatives was the next most compelling benefit, resulting in a 19.4% increase over the baseline. Direct cash transfers and investments in affordable housing earned 14.7% and 9.5% greater support, respectively.
In addition to examining the direct benefits a large-scale solar installation could offer a local community, the researchers examined levels of support for projects based on how they managed the impacts of construction and operation to the local environment.
Agrivoltaics practices earned the largest share of added support, with projects that grow native plants under solar panels earning 17.3% greater favorability over the base case and projects with farming and/or grazing around the installations earning 14.2%.
The researchers also discovered that agrivoltaics practices may cause people who are strongly opposed to large-scale solar facilities to change their minds, with data showing that agrivoltaics projects receive a neutral attitude from respondents who said they were strongly opposed to projects that replace farmland.
A roadmap for community-supported development
SI2 asserts the report’s findings show that community support for large-scale solar development is strongly tied to whether projects deliver clear and meaningful local benefits, and recommends that developers use an approach to address the most important topics uncovered in the research.
“For the first time at this scale, we have clear evidence of what shapes community support for large-scale solar,” said SI2 executive director David Gahl in a statement. “The findings give industry and communities a practical roadmap—showing that finding ways to reduce high electricity bills, deliver local benefits, and incorporate innovative designs are central to successful project development and community engagement.”
Research shows that public opposition to individual solar projects has increased in recent years, with one state, Missouri, even considering a ban on new large-scale solar developments. Additionally, the federal government recently attempted a “de facto moratorium” on new solar projects on federal land (which was recently blocked by a Massachusetts District Court judge).In addition to using the tactics recommended by the SI2 report, developers can consider how intelligently siting projects can neutralize local opposition, often for very little added cost over choosing more controversial sites.
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