Emerging headwind to combating climate change is particularly worrisome

They’re not in the majority, but that doesn’t mean they can’t wreak havoc. I’m referring to the growing community opposition to renewable energy.

A recent survey by Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory indicates that neighborhood opposition to renewable energy projects is growing. So much so that according to industry professionals it’s becoming one of the leading reasons why projects are delayed or cancelled. The industry insiders Berkley surveyed were responsible for about half of all large U.S. renewable projects installed from 2016 to 2023, so it’s more than a representative sample.

Respondents noted that about half of solar and wind projects suffered delays of six months or more, and about a third were cancelled altogether due to community opposition. This is counterintuitive given surveys showing that most Americans support wind and solar. But like many things, a vocal minority can inflict its will if the majority sits idly by.

The problem goes beyond cancelled or delayed projects. The growing opposition is making projects more expensive. Respondents put the average expense increase that was unrecoverable from cancellations at $2 million for solar and $7.5 million for wind.  Now this is for large projects and not rooftop or residential projects, but the bottom line is that those costs will ultimately be absorbed by ratepayers in one way or another.

There is some evidence that fossil fuel interests are instigating some of the local opposition and I have no doubt that is true. These are huge industries that don’t want their golden goose put out to pasture. Given there is nothing illegal to ginning up opposition, you can bet it’s happening.

The other issue may be the hypocrisy of the wealthy. Research published last year on wind projects in the U.S. and Canada between 2000 and 2016 found that opposition was more likely in wealthier communities. The authors of the research described this as “energy privilege.” Think Cape Wind off of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

“It speaks to access: Who has the ability to say ‘no’ to potential economic development opportunities that may not be their preferred path forward for their community?” said Robi Nilson, one of the Berkley study’s authors.

In the end, there are solutions to this opposition. Developers have learned they need to involve the community earlier in the process. Developers also need to begin considering sites not based on how favorable the land may be, or the proximity to grid interconnection, but on whether the location’s residents are favorable to projects.

This could alleviate the problem, but it comes with a financial cost which would make renewable energy more expensive than it is today.

#solarprojects #windfarm #lawrenceberkleynationallaboratory #nimby #climatechangesolutions