DOE Invests $9.5 Million into the Large-Scale Solar Siting and Permitting
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $9.5 million investment in four new projects focused on social science research. These projects will investigate how siting practices affect public attitudes and the permitting process for large-scale solar facilities. The research aims to provide actionable insights to enhance outcomes for host communities, especially underserved ones, and benefit the solar industry. This initiative supports the DOE’s goal of achieving 100% clean electricity by 2035, necessitating the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of solar capacity over the next decade.
According to the Department of Energy, the organizations receiving funding under the Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies 4 (SEEDS 4) program include:
Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan): Researchers will evaluate the potential to speed up large-scale solar siting and permitting processes while also reducing community burdens and improving procedural justice and energy equity. The project will study ten large-scale projects in four different regions of the country. (Award amount: $2.5 million)
Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey): Researchers will assess the potential for Community Benefit Agreements—legal agreements between community groups and large-scale solar developers—to deliver tangible benefits to communities, build credibility in solar projects, and strengthen trust across stakeholder groups. (Award amount: $2 million)
Solar and Storage Industries Institute (Washington, D.C.): This project will leverage the stakeholder-driven Solar Uncommon Dialogue, convened by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Solar Energy Industries Association, and The Nature Conservancy, to identify innovative community engagement practices for siting and permitting large-scale solar projects and evaluate their impact on outcomes for host communities and the solar industry. (Award amount: $2.5 million)
