Local opposition to renewables a growing obstacle to meeting CO2 targets – study

Winning local support for the large-scale wind and solar energy projects needed to meet carbon-reduction goals is becoming increasingly challenging, according to a first-of-its-kind study of renewable energy companies by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Scientists have published a new paper in Energy Research and Social Sciences based on a survey conducted last year among over 120 representatives of 62 companies involved in the development of renewable energy sources.

Among the key findings: 80 percent of respondents said community opposition to utility-scale wind and solar projects will hinder decarbonization goals.

“Society’s response to large-scale renewable energy projects is increasingly shaping how they are deployed, both in terms of how quickly projects are built and the overall scope of where they are built,” said lead author Robi Nilson, an assistant professor in the Department of Energy Markets and Policy at the lab.