The Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2), was founded four years ago, with a commitment to advancing credible, evidence-based research on critical clean energy topics.
This mission has only grown more important over time.
Right now, the energy sector is undergoing significant transition. Electricity demand is rising and affordability is a top concern. And solar and storage technologies are playing an increasingly central role in meeting this demand while supporting a more reliable and resilient energy grid.
As public conversations around solar energy are shaped by varied narratives, the need for rigorous, data-driven analysis has never been more relevant and critical.
This is the foundation of SI2’s work.
Over the past year, experts at SI2 have been examining: the factors that influence community support for large-scale clean energy projects, drivers of rising utility bills, and ways to improve interconnection for solar projects. This work is generating the insights, tools, and resources needed to help support solar project development and deployment to meet growing energy demand.
Community Engagement Research
Communities are increasingly focused on what new energy infrastructure means for them locally, and the level of support is a critical factor in whether projects can be developed and deployed. Yet there is little empirical data around which specific strategies and approaches are effective for garnering community support for large-scale solar (LSS).
To address this gap, SI2 is leading research as part of a multi-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies program. In collaboration with the Solar Uncommon Dialogue and other project partners.
Our recent survey of more than 5,200 rural residents across 47 states found that support for large-scale solar is largely shaped by local benefits. Respondents were 21% more likely to support projects that reduce household electricity bills, preferring this over all other options, including direct cash transfers, and 19% more likely to support projects that included investments in local infrastructure, reinforcing the importance of visible, community-level benefits.
These insights are building evidence on what actually drives community support, and will help inform the tools and resources needed to improve project outcomes for stakeholders and communities.
Agrivoltaics Innovation
While combining solar and working farmland is not new, many questions remain about whether agrivoltaics can scale.
Our 2024 survey found that 70% of farmers are supportive of solar panels on their farms as long as they could continue farming. Building on this, SI2 is currently conducting case studies at working farms with existing solar installations to better understand operational challenges, successful deployment models and the resources needed to support farmers, developers and rural communities pursuing agrivoltaics projects.
Additional findings from our recent survey measuring community support for LSS projects, show that projects allowing farming or grazing alongside solar panels receive substantially higher support than those that simply replace farmland. In fact, LSS projects that incorporate agrivoltaics, shifted attitudes from a negative to a neutral position, suggesting that agrivoltaics could help opponents feel more comfortable with LSS.
These insights serve as a foundation to help develop the tools and best practices needed to allow agrivoltaics to become more widely deployed.
Improved Siting and Permitting
As the demand for electricity grows, LSS projects are increasingly needed, which have the potential to change the character of rural communities. As part of an award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s, Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, SI2 is working with partners to identify effective strategies, tools and resources to improve outcomes for communities, stakeholders, and streamline siting and permitting for large-scale solar projects.
This work is particularly important because of the growing impact of “soft costs” – any costs that are not associated with project hardware such as panels and inverters. Recent analysis from SI2 shows that 75% of utility-scale solar costs come from costs like local processes for siting and permit activities.
SI2’s research supports more efficient project deployment and meaningful community engagement.
Affordability and Interconnection Reform
Two questions are increasingly shaping energy conversations across the country: How to bring more energy projects onto the grid, and how to better understand the factors driving electricity costs?
In 2026, experts at SI2 are working on research that will help provide the solar and storage industry with clearer insights into what is driving rising energy costs in a few key states. At the same time, our experts are also continuing to advance and support research on interconnection reform to help accelerate solar project deployment. We are continuing to track the effectiveness of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 2023 and analyze grid operator data about developments in the interconnection queues.
Looking Ahead
As SI2 enters its fifth year, our commitment remains unchanged: to provide trusted, independent research that helps inform better decisions across the clean energy sector. With solar rapidly scaling and widely supported, SI2 is focused on supporting that growth by providing the facts, data, and rigorous analysis needed for credible decision-making.
