The US Department of Energy (DOE) has invested in community engagement research for solar sites, with Michigan State University receiving $2.5 million to study the potential to speed up large-scale solar siting and permitting processes, while reducing community burdens and improving procedural justice and energy equity. The Solar and Storage Industries Institute received $2.,5 million, while Princeton University received $3.5 to assess the potential for Community Benefit Agreements between community groups and large-size solar developers to deliver tangible benefits to communities. The University of Pennsylvania received $4.5 billion to study how different siting practices shape community support for large-sized solar projects. The investment was announced in response to research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), which found that community opposition is among the top three causes of project cancellations in the US.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
