SEEDS Project
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 large-scale solar acceptance.
As demand for clean energy rises and large-scale solar development accelerates, effective community engagement around large-scale solar siting is becoming especially critical.
Despite the clear need to add solar capacity to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, local opposition to large-scale solar 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 large-scale solar 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.
What You Will Gain by Participating
This project is focused on generating empirical insight to inform future large-scale solar project planning and engagement, and improve outcomes for all stakeholders.
Developers involved in the project will gain insights into community engagement and support around their specific large-scale solar project which could be applied at other sites. Researchers will generate first-of-its kind, empirically rigorous insights around community support and/or opposition for future large-scale solar projects more broadly.
Are you a developer planning a large-scale solar project in 2026? To participate in the study and gain valuable insights on community engagement around your site, or for more information, contact our experts at [email protected].
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.
Key Report Findings
Key Report Findings
Get insights into the SEEDS survey results
Electricity bill savings are the strongest driver of support.
Respondents were 21% more likely to support projects that reduce household electricity bills, preferring this over all other options, including direct cash transfers.
Given that LSS projects generally connect to the bulk electric grid, this finding suggests that solutions that lower electricity bills for residents of communities that host large energy projects could lead to greater local support.
Local community investments matter.
Respondents were 19% more likely to support projects that included investments in local infrastructure, reinforcing the importance of visible, community-level benefits.
Programs that allow stakeholders the broad ability to pass on project benefits to the local communities in the form of infrastructure and other local benefits are likely to lead to greater local support for large energy projects.
Agrivoltaics & active land stewardship practices significantly increase support.
Respondents had strong preferences for projects that maintained, restored or supplemented the existing project landscape in some way. Projects that allow farming or grazing alongside solar panels received substantially higher support than those that replace farmland.
Recognizing that agrivoltaics is not suitable in every situation, this finding suggests that research and education activities should be focused on addressing barriers to agrivoltaics and beneficial land stewardship practices, which could ultimately lead to project designs that engender more community support.
Among respondents initially opposed to LSS: Agrivoltaic project designs shifted attitudes from opposition to a neutral position.
Findings suggest that agrivoltaics could help opponents feel more comfortable with LSS.Research and other activities that lead to greater community understanding of agrivoltaics and land stewardship practices could lead to improved community support, even among local skeptics.
