Shaping the Future of Solar
Land use planning policies are best developed with stakeholder input, but developing stakeholder-engaged policies for solar development can be challenging. Large-scale solar is a relatively new land use and not always well understood; the potential impacts can be vast, opinions are polarized, and ensuring authentic stakeholder participation can be difficult. Furthermore, well-designed and well-executed public engagement requires resources such as time, funding, staff capacity and expertise, which are precious commodities when there are many competing priorities. However, considering the exponential demand for energy generation and the potential impacts and tradeoffs of solar development, many localities feel a sense of urgency to update their relevant policies and regulations.
When updating solar policies and regulations it is crucial that the locality provides authentic public engagement. Without community-engaged policy development, there is an increased chance of contentious public hearings and delays in project development that can result in higher costs, forgone revenue, and unrealized public benefits. Community-engaged policy honors the public’s desires around development and provides opportunities for equitable policy development and implementation. This work also paves the way for transparent and consistent signaling to solar developers about where and how a community wants solar in their locality.
This report and associated case studies were developed by researching strategies and best practices that Virginia localities can deploy to meaningfully engage with their residents throughout the lifecycle of solar policy development and implementation. It examines the various stages of solar policy development and the public engagement strategies that are best suited in each phase, and through detailed case studies highlights outstanding examples of public engagement taken by three Virginia localities. The report was developed by a UVA student enrolled in the Batten School of Public Policy, with guidance from the Cooper Center and Virginia Solar Initiative.