Are big and small solar separate things?: The importance of scale in public support for solar energy development in upstate New York

In 2019, solar energy made up the largest share of new electricity-generating capacity in the U.S. This growth is increasingly driven by large utility-scale projects. Although data from public opinion polls indicate an overall high level of support for `solar energy', generically framed, these polls rarely, if ever, consider the issue of scale of the proposed projects. This is a crucial gap: in response, our work explores public preferences for three distinct scales of solar energy. Support was measured with a mail survey implemented in three regions of Upstate New York during the fall of 2020. A total of 575 residents responded to the survey for a response rate of 18.4%. We find that support for utility scale solar is significantly lower than support for community or rooftop solar. The survey findings are complemented by fieldwork (interviews, public comments, editorials) which demonstrate that direct experience with utility development in or near one's community helps spur public discourse and the subsequent formation of better developed attitudes towards utility solar. Opposition to utility solar is more common among residents in Western New York, where development is the most active. Furthermore, many residents categorize utility solar as an industrial activity that would negatively impact the existing rural landscape. They furthermore question the need for such development when the same technology could be deployed on rooftops or other already developed spaces. We suggest that more pro-active attention to the scale of solar development is pertinent to understanding public responses and informing public engagement.

Automated summary

The study highlights that the growth of solar energy capacity in the U.S. is mainly driven by large utility-scale projects, but public support varies for projects of different scales. Residents in Western New York are more opposed to large-scale solar projects, viewing them as industrial activities that could negatively impact rural landscapes.