Energy Values Lab

Now Available!!! Below is the May 2025 version of the US Renewable Energy Organized Opposition & Support Database

This dataset, which includes information on over 320 organizations or organized efforts working to either support or oppose renewable energy projects in the United States is a product of the Energy Values Lab in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU).

This dataset began as a MSU Undergraduate Honors class project in 2024 and with contributions from multiple students, including both graduate and undergraduate students, continues as a collaborative research project.

The purpose of the database is to provide accessible information to residents, scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers regarding the types of organizations operating online to support or oppose renewable energy development in the US.

The dataset currently covers 32 states. For more on the dataset’s development visit oppositiondb.com

Understanding where and why support for or opposition to large-scale renewable projects exists is key to i) improving siting and permitting processes, ii) enhancing accessibility and reliability of electricity delivery, and iii) facilitating decarbonization and the pursuit of sustainable energy more broadly. 

This data is available for any and all uses. Please use the suggested citation below when using or referencing the dataset: 

Horowitz, D., Borgess, P., Conroy, J. & D. Bessette (May, 2025). United States Renewable Energy Organized Opposition and Support Group Database. Energy Values Lab, Michigan State University. East Lansing, MI. https://oppositiondb.com/

In addition to the current project team, we would like to acknowledge the work of the following individuals in developing and maintaining the dataset and website: C.Hardaway, J.Martens, A.Moore, V.Unruh., & R.Koyama.

Excited to announce a new paper published in Methodological Innovations, led by CSUS MSc. graduate and Energy Values Lab member Jake White!

While paper mail-based surveys avoid much of the risk of bots and fraudulent data, they suffer from lower response rates and ever-inflating material and logistical costs. In response, there is a nascent, but growing literature investigating a lower cost, explicitly anonymous, mail-based survey distribution method called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM).

This study contributes to this growing body of literature by using EDDM to disseminate a sequential mixed-mode census-style survey that meets best use-case recommendations per past research. We make several design alterations to elicit higher response rates including using an outer envelope and cash incentive.

The survey, distributed near large-scale solar developments in three urban Michigan communities (~1554 households), was geographically based, targeted a specific and limited population, and covered the potentially sensitive topic of local solar development, which may have also led to a higher response rate. The survey achieved an overall response rate of 10.2% with 158 complete surveys returned, demonstrating this work’s usefulness, use case, and flexibility.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20597991251329754

On Monday the 3rd of February, the CAREsolar workshop, Creating an updated conceptual framework on the socio-ecological impacts and community acceptance of large-scale solar, was held at ETH Zurich with the assistance of the Swiss Research Foundation for Electricity and Mobile Communication (FSM). The workshop brought together 20 experts and key stakeholders from Europe and beyond with the aim of identifying the main challenges and good practices for decision-making around the planning and design of large-scale solar photovoltaic projects. I was honored to be included in this important work.

For an initial report on the workshop, check out Ross Wallace’s summary report.

Supporting Community-Centered Solar Development: A Guide to Hosting Community Conversations About Large-Scale Solar Development

This guidebook helps community leaders, planners, developers, and residents facilitate proactive discussions about large-scale solar (LSS) development. As LSS projects grow rapidly across the U.S., these conversations ensure development aligns with local priorities and values.

The guide provides a practical, eight-step process for planning and hosting respectful, productive discussions about solar’s local impacts—both positive and negative. Developed through the Community-Centered Solar Development project, it reflects real-world insights from pilot conversations led by university Extension professionals across five states.

You’ll find guidance on assessing local solar status, defining objectives, engaging stakeholders, and managing logistics, plus a Resource Library with free tools like slides, templates, and agendas.

Whether your community is preparing for its first solar project or addressing new proposals, this guide equips you to foster understanding, address concerns, and align solar development with your community’s goals.

The CCSD Community Conversations guidebook is also available for download at MSU’s CANR-CSUS’s website: Supporting Community-Centered Solar Development

Please cite the following when using our guidebook:

Bessette, D. L., White, J., Mills, S. B., Hoen, B., Rand, J., Nilson, R., & Hoesch, K. (2024). Supporting Community-Centered Solar Development: A Guide to Hosting Community Conversations About Large-Scale Solar Development. Michigan State University; University of Michigan; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/zdbyk-8rq15

Here’s my quick take on large-scale solar and heat islands, having very quickly reviewed the literature below:

Bottom line: temperatures do rise immediately above and adjacent to solar farms, but decrease under the panels. Vegetation mitigates these effects. The temperature increases also dissipate rapidly as you move away from the panels.

Solar farms do not contribute to global warming, even if there were thousands of them.

Heat island effects are a major–and legitimate–concern of community-members and people (and plants and animals) living near solar farms.

Here’s a bibliography (and links) of studies examining this:

1. Armstrong, A., Ostle, N. J., & Whitaker, J. (2016). Solar park microclimate and vegetation management effects on grassland carbon cycling. Environmental Research Letters, 11(7), 074016.
2. Barron-Gafford, G. A., Minor, R. L., Allen, N. A., Cronin, A. D., Brooks, A. E., & Pavao-Zuckerman, M. A. (2016). The Photovoltaic Heat Island Effect: Larger solar power plants increase local temperatures. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 35070. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35070
3. Broadbent, A. M., Krayenhoff, E. S., Georgescu, M., & Sailor, D. J. (2019). The Observed Effects of Utility-Scale Photovoltaics on Near-Surface Air Temperature and Energy Balance. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 58(5), 989–1006. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0271.1
4. Chang, R., Shen, Y., Luo, Y., Wang, B., Yang, Z., & Guo, P. (2018). Observed surface radiation and temperature impacts from the large-scale deployment of photovoltaics in the barren area of Gonghe, China. Renewable Energy, 118, 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.11.007
5. E. Demirezen, T. Ozden, & B. G. Akinoglu. (2018). Impacts of a Photovoltaic Power Plant for Possible Heat Island Effect. 2018 International Conference on Photovoltaic Science and Technologies (PVCon), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1109/PVCon.2018.8523937
6. Fthenakis, V., & Yu, Y. (2013). Analysis of the potential for a heat island effect in large solar farms. 3362–3366.
7. Guoqing, L., Hernandez, R. R., Blackburn, G. A., Davies, G., Hunt, M., Whyatt, J. D., & Armstrong, A. (2021). Ground-mounted photovoltaic solar parks promote land surface cool islands in arid ecosystems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, 1, 100008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2021.100008
8. Hu, A., Levis, S., Meehl, G. A., Han, W., Washington, W. M., Oleson, K. W., van Ruijven, B. J., He, M., & Strand, W. G. (2016). Impact of solar panels on global climate. Nature Climate Change, 6(3), 290–294. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2843
9. Jiang, J., Gao, X., Lv, Q., Li, Z., & Li, P. (2021). Observed impacts of utility-scale photovoltaic plant on local air temperature and energy partitioning in the barren areas. Renewable Energy, 174, 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.148
10. Makaronidou, M. (2020). Assessment on the Local Climate Effects of Solar Photovoltaic Parks [Ph.D., Lancaster University (United Kingdom)]. In PQDT – Global (2460767216). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Closed Collection. https://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/assessment-on-local-climate-effects-solar/docview/2460767216/se-2?accountid=12598
11. Masson, V., Bonhomme, M., Salagnac, J.-L., Briottet, X., & Lemonsu, A. (2014). Solar panels reduce both global warming and urban heat island. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2014.00014
12. Nguyen, K. C., Katzfey, J. J., Riedl, J., & Troccoli, A. (2017). Potential impacts of solar arrays on regional climate and on array efficiency. International Journal of Climatology, 37(11), 4053–4064.
13. Nixon, B. (n.d.). The Potential Micro Climate Impacts of Large-Scale Solar Farms – Implications for Planning and Approvals. https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/events/event-docs-2019/SIF-2019/Presentations/03-Bronte-Nixon.pdf
14. Sailor, D. J., Anand, J., & King, R. R. (2021). Photovoltaics in the built environment: A critical review. Energy and Buildings, 253, 111479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.111479
15. Smith, S. E., Viggiano, B., Ali, N., Silverman, T. J., Obligado, M., Calaf, M., & Cal, R. B. (2022). Increased panel height enhances cooling for photovoltaic solar farms. Applied Energy, 325, 119819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119819
16. Wu, W., Yue, S., Zhou, X., Guo, M., Wang, J., Ren, L., & Yuan, B. (2020). Observational Study on the Impact of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Development in Deserts on Local Air Temperature and Humidity. Sustainability, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083403
17. Xu, Z., Li, Y., Qin, Y., & Bach, E. (2024). A global assessment of the effects of solar farms on albedo, vegetation, and land surface temperature using remote sensing. Solar Energy, 268, 112198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2023.112198
18. Yang, L., Gao, X., Lv, F., Hui, X., Ma, L., & Hou, X. (2017). Study on the local climatic effects of large photovoltaic solar farms in desert areas. Solar Energy, 144, 244–253.
19. Zhang, X., & Xu, M. (2020). Assessing the Effects of Photovoltaic Powerplants on Surface Temperature Using Remote Sensing Techniques. Remote Sensing, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12111825

Expanding electricity access (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7) and empowering women (SDG 5) are closely linked. Most studies quantifying the benefits of the former for women focus on their economic empowerment; however, if and how such access results in women’s empowerment is best understood by examining the cultural context, norms, and gender roles in which that access occurs.

In this study, we delve deeper into the multi-faceted and context-specific concept of women’s empowerment via 28 semi-structured interviews with Zambian women. We include households with and without electricity to understand women’s subjective meaning of empowerment and how access to electricity may (dis) empower them. We analyze their responses using Deshmukh-Ranadive’s (2005) Spaces approach to empowerment which categorizes an individual’s spaces into physical, economic, political, socio-cultural, and mental space.

We find that electricity access empowers women by expanding their economic and physical, along with mental, space. This occurs via paid opportunities outside the home using electrical appliances and women reporting greater economic independence, camaraderie, self-reliance, and agency as a result. Additionally, by asking women to define what empowerment means to them, we not only bolster the claim that electricity access empowers women both economically and socially, but also ensure future programs account for empowerment explicitly in their plans.

The Energy Values Lab in the Department of Community Sustainability, led by Doug Bessette, at Michigan State University has been selected for a $2,500,000 award by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office! This interdisciplinary and multi-institution project aims to answer a single comprehensive research question: how can we speed large-scale solar permitting processes, while also reducing community burdens, improving community outcomes, and improving residents’ perceptions of solar? Put simply, how can we develop solar both fast and fair?

We expect this work to generate actionable insights to improve large-scale solar siting processes and outcomes for host communities and the solar industry, speed solar deployment, and ensure that all Americans benefit from the clean energy transition. Learn more about the project here.

Dan Gearino writes about our study of a community solar project in L’ Anse, Michigan.