One of the largest national surveys of rural residents finds that electricity bill savings, local investment, and land stewardship are major drivers of support.
New research from the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2), in partnership with researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), shows that rural residents are significantly more likely to support large-scale solar (LSS) projects when they lower electricity bills, invest in local infrastructure, and preserve existing land uses through strategies like agrivoltaics.
“For the first time at this scale, we have clear evidence of what shapes community support for large-scale solar,” said David Gahl, executive director, Solar and Storage Industries Institute. “The findings give industry and communities a practical roadmap—showing that finding ways to reduce high electricity bills, deliver local benefits, and incorporate innovative designs are central to successful project development and community engagement.”
Survey data was collected from 5,200 rural residents across 47 states, making it one of the largest surveys of rural residents living near existing, planned, or likely future LSS development sites in the United States.
This effort is part of an ongoing project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Energy Systems Office. As part of this award, SI2 and project partners are conducting research to better understand rural attitudes towards large energy projects and will identify community engagement strategies developers can implement to improve project outcomes for communities and other stakeholders.
Key findings from the survey include:
- 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 and 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.
“As electricity demand continues to rise across the country, communities are increasingly focused on high electricity bills and what new energy infrastructure means for them locally,” said Gahl. “This research makes clear what drives public support. The challenge now is execution- ensuring benefits are delivered to households and communities.”
Full report can be found here.
Methodology
This survey was conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the fall of 2025. Mailers were sent to 110,000 rural residents asking them to participate in the survey through a web portal. Results were recorded from nearly 5,200 rural residents across the U.S., with responses from 47 states. The response rate was 4.64%, more than double the rate researchers were expecting.
More information on the methodology can be found here.
About the Integrated Energy Systems Office
The U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Energy Systems Office drives research and development of energy solutions that enhance grid reliability and resilience, foster U.S. technological leadership, and reduce the cost of energy for Americans. Learn more at energy.gov/cmei/systems/integrated-energy-systems-office.
