Community Opposition and Grid Challenges Slow the Pace of Renewable Efforts, National Survey of Developers Shows
In recent months, residents in Texas rushed a community meeting to challenge a nearby wind proposal. In Indiana, more than 70 people joined a lawsuit to stop a solar project in their town. And in Michigan, the state approved language for a ballot initiative that would repeal a law that gave the state authority to permit or approve large renewable energy projects even if rejected by local governments.
An expanding body of research suggests these disagreements are part of a trend, rather than isolated incidents. As solar and wind projects are proposed in more places, more communities seem to be deciding they don’t want anything to do with them. Though these residents are not the majority, members of the industry, along with policymakers and researchers, worry that such increased challenges will slow the overall pace of decarbonization and efforts to respond to climate change.
A recently released survey from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory adds some fresh evidence and details about the phenomenon. Community opposition and local ordinances are among the top reasons for delays and cancellations of wind and solar projects, according to the survey of industry professionals who helped develop about half of all large renewable projects from 2016 to 2023 in the United States.