Premium

How to increase community support for solar PV

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Many of the concerns around solar projects focus on land-use debates and environmental degradation, with agrivoltaic projects one possible solution. Image: Silicon Ranch.

One of the issues developers face while establishing solar plants is community opposition to the project. While a Pew Research Investigation last year found that almost all US adults (84%) supported expanding solar’s presence in the country, this is not always the case when a project is proposed nearby a community and nimbyist attitudes resurface.

The specifics of community objection will vary by time and place but there are recurring themes to this opposition: risk to the environment, the aesthetics of the projects, disruptions to the local community, pressure on the local transmission system, etc.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“Gaining community support can be a large undertaking and we’ve found that the largest obstacle to overcome is a lack of education,” says Alan Robertson, managing director of US PV developer BlueWave. “Frequently, that lack of education turns into fear and even backlash which results in major setbacks, even the rejection of an initial project proposal.”

“Many community residents are unaware of how the solar development process works, how solar benefits their community and what the true impacts of a new project are,” Robertson adds.

PV Tech spoke with Robertson and BlueWave spin out Perch Energy about community acceptance of and support for solar PV and what can be done to convince communities of the benefits of solar.  

Increasing community support for large-scale solar projects

“When approaching a new project site, you never know what concerns will be voiced,” says Robertson, although he says typically community concerns in the US range from “residents who are worried about the appearance of solar panels and how they will negatively impact the visual of the neighbourhood to those focused on the possible dangers of panels, the potential for displaced stormwater runoff and overall site management.”

Community objections to large-scale solar projects in the US are more common in rural areas, with farmland development often sparking land use debates, Robertson notes.

A 2020 studying into community acceptance of large-scale solar found that “green-on-green” tensions were a major phenomenon as conservationists clashed heads with renewable energy developers over the environmental impact of projects. For this reason, BlueWave incorporates dual-use practices where possible.

“We want to keep farmland viable for agricultural use,” explains Robertson. “The shift to adding agrivoltaic practices to solar has helped to shift rural communities towards acceptance.”

“With the practice of agrivoltaics, we maintain viable farmland and continue to support farmers by offsetting energy costs and keeping land in the hands of the community members,” he adds.

Furthermore, properly engaging with the community by going above and beyond the bare minimum of community engagement is crucial, says Robertson. When developing a new project, there are many requirements such as public hearings and planning board meetings, although these do not provide the best setting for community feedback or open dialogue, he notes.

“In addition to the regulated forums, we like to hold separate community meetings to give a direct line to BlueWave,” Robertson explains. “In these meetings we are able to start a conversation with the community and have human interactions – which we find is the best way to find resolutions and get community approval.”

Another mechanism of increasing community support for solar PV is by underlining the potential financial benefits to the local community’s energy bills. “Businesses can change the community opinion of solar by designing projects and programmes that provide value to local residents,” says Robertson.

“Community solar is a great example of this. The energy credits often provide energy cost savings and allow local residents to participate in clean energy without needing to install their own rooftop solar systems,” he adds.

Community solar can change perceptions

Many people are still unaware of community solar opportunities and are unsure of the benefits, says Bruce Stewart, CEO of Perch Energy, which was spun out of BlueWave in 2010 to expand access to renewable energy and serve a broader range of assets owners and developers.

“We bring together people developing and owning solar assets and customers interested in accessing solar power, servicing those customers through time,” says Stewart, adding that the expansion on community solar is a key component of the US’ decarbonisation journey.  

Moreover, he say that increasing knowledge around community solar and the benefits it can bring to local residents is another means of generating support for solar PV as a whole.

While Stewart recognises the common objections to solar projects – environmental worries, land use concerns, etc – he says the arguments for such development are more powerful. You need to sell it as part of an important national mission that is non-disruptive to local communities, will create jobs and will bring benefits to the local area, says Stewart.  

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a siting guide for community solar that provides a framework for developers and state regulators to consult and stresses the need for greater deployment throughout the US.

It outlines a four-stage strategy for determining the siting of community solar projects, which it defines as local solar facilities – typically under 5MW – shared by multiple community subscribers who receive credits on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced.

21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

October 8, 2025
Saatvik Green Energy has secured new solar PV module orders worth more than INR7 billion (US$84 million), to be delivered in this financial year.
October 8, 2025
Australia's NEM achieved a new minimum operational demand record of 9,666MW, marking a 4% decrease from the previous record.
October 8, 2025
Frontier Energy plans to expand its Waroona Renewable Energy Project into a renewable energy precinct by 2031, targeting up to 1GW solar.
October 7, 2025
Econergy will acquire 100% stake in the 155MW Ratesti solar project in Romania, further expanding its European renewable energy portfolio.
October 7, 2025
Juniper Green Energy through its subsidiary Juniper Green Sigma Eight has signed a 70MW power purchase agreement with renewable energy giant Tata Power. 
October 7, 2025
Solar PV will account for almost 80% of the 4.6TW of new renewable power expected to be added by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK