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Research indicates that most residents of solar energy installations maintain a positive attitude towards these plants until they exceed 100 MW of capacity or approximately 160 hectares. More than 10 million homes are within a mile of more than 8,000 large-scale solar (LSS) projects, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratorys Energy Markets & Policy (EMP) reports. This figure is expected to increase significantly, despite the efforts of certain groups to spread falsehoods and hinder progress. Solar energy remains the most popular form of electricity nationwide, even as its popularity declines in more conservative and rural areas as a result of targeted attacks. To better understand the perceptions of those who live near solar energy facilities, the EMP team, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, conducted an exhaustive 12-page survey that analyzed 49 different aspects of living near LSS projects. . The data collected from 4,974 households was published in “ Perception of Large-Scale Solar Project Neighbors: Results from a National Survey .” The group shared responses from 984 households located within a five-kilometer radius of 380 unique LSS projects, with 71% of these households located within a 1.6 km radius of the projects. According to the EMP study, residents attitudes remained fairly constant until the projects exceeded 100 MW, at which point sentiment changed dramatically, showing a 12 to 1 ratio of negative to positive responses. This strong opposition was closely related to concerns about the impact on local aesthetics, overall quality of life, and perceived unfairness in the project planning process. It should be noted that only 20% of respondents knew about the projects before construction began, and around a third discovered their existence upon receiving the survey. Those who see large solar installations on a daily basis were much more likely to express negative attitudes toward these projects. When asked about expanding ELS projects and other types of energy infrastructure, respondents showed the greatest support for rooftop solar, with less than 10% opposed. Support for new EESS projects came in second, followed by wind energy, gas plants, gas pipelines, wells and nuclear energy, in that order. Interestingly, if a solar energy project is to be built, agrivoltaic projects (which integrate agriculture with photovoltaic systems to maximize land use) received the highest approval ratings, with less than 10% negative opinions, and a 50% positive or very positive opinions. The results showed that 85% of these neighbors had a positive or neutral opinion of local solar energy projects, 11% viewed them negatively, and 4% had a very negative perception. Attitudes were slightly less favorable among those who lived within 400 meters of a facility. Overall, support for building new solar installations was strong, with 42% in favor and only 18% against. However, attitudes changed significantly as the size of the projects increased. Research conducted in upstate New York echoed these results, showing a change in perception when projects exceeded 20 hectares. |
