SEEDS Project
A three-year study testing approaches to community engagement around large-scale solar siting
ABOUT —
What is SEEDS?
As part of a 3-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies program, otherwise known as SEEDS4, SI2 is working collaboratively with the Solar Uncommon Dialogue and other project partners to understand the factors and approaches to community outreach that influence LSS acceptance.
As demand for clean energy rises and large-scale solar (LSS) development accelerates, effective community engagement around LSS siting is becoming especially critical.
Despite the clear need add solar capacity to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, local opposition to LSS projects is on the rise, resulting in missed opportunities for both communities and developers.
Why This Matters
There is little consensus around what specific strategies and approaches are effective for garnering community support for large-scale solar. This gap means that developers and communities alike lack clear, evidence-based approaches to effective community outreach around LSS siting. Community concerns may go unheard while developers take on costly, often ineffective outreach efforts.
What We Do
At the heart of this project is a survey experiment testing community engagement strategies in the field. By deploying repeated survey waves in communities where strategies are being deployed, the project team will be able to test approaches to community engagement in a real-world setting. The project results will be presented in both academic papers and reports and tools for practitioners.
Develop. Demonstrate. Deploy.
An in depth timeline through the community engagement process.
Uncommon Dialogue
January 2025 – March 2026
Community Engagement Innovation & Deployment
In coordination with the Solar Uncommon Dialogue (SUD), our experts are generating at least three community engagement “innovations.”
These engagement innovations will be tested in 6-9 communities, selected by our experts, SUD and developers.
- We develop protocols for deploying the innovations.
- We deploy innovations in selected communities.
Social Science Research
April 2026 – September 2027
Survey Research Panels & Testing
SI2 along with our partners, will measure public opinion on large scale solar projects through surveys and real world testing.
4 waves of survey research across 3–4 panels will provide a clear view of public attitudes toward large-scale solar and the impact of different community engagement strategies.
- We test innovations in the real world.
- We measure attitudes and changes to track attitudes on large-scale solar.
Results, Publication, Dissemination
October 2027 – June 2028
Sharing Insights on Community Engagement
SI2, along with our partners, will analyze interim findings to show how engagement innovations perform, evaluates on-site deployment experiences, and produces final reports, fact sheets, and materials for academics, practitioners, and the public.
- We host practitioner workshops to share lessons and best practices for effective community-backed solar development.
SOLAR AND STORAGE INDUSTRIES INSTITUTE —
Our Commitment
SI2 is committed to developing, deploying and demonstrating evidence-based approaches to community engagement around large-scale solar siting. Over the course of this three-year study, we will collaborate with communities, developers and partners to test strategies in real-world settings. By combining rigorous survey research, field experiments, and practical tools , we aim to provide clear, actionable guidance that improves outcomes for stakeholders and accelerates deployment of large-scale solar projects.
