The case for starting community engagement earlier than you think

"Do we go in early and risk awakening the opposition? Or do we wait until we have more to announce?"

That is one of the most frequent questions I hear about community engagement for clean energy projects.

I would venture to add a different ending to the second question. It should read "Or do we wait until we have more to announce and then have to deal with the opposition?"

Unless you have specifically chosen a location for your project based on positive community acceptance, you will have some sort of pushback, especially given the rapidly souring public sentiment on AI data centers. The data center backlash and moratoriums are bleeding over into clean energy development, not only because many associate clean energy with data centers, but also just because it's another outside company coming into the community to build something new.

Start off on the right foot

When doing your desktop research for site location, start with how the community has reacted to development in general. Did they protest a new shopping mall? Expect pushback then! By starting community outreach early, before the news gets out, you can create the narrative. Start building relationships with the immediate neighbors and let them help you tell a positive story. You might find that the neighbors can help manage the opposing views.

Understand the source of opposition

Communities are angry, but often it's not really about the large PV project that is planned for their town. It's because they aren't involved in the decision making process, or even consulted about what's going to happen in the area where they live and work.

When an outside entity comes in and begins by signing a lease, making a deal with local government officials, and only then asks for community feedback, the response is not going to be good. Nobody likes to feel like an afterthought. Starting early doesn't solve all problems, but starting late creates new ones.

Don't just take my word for it. In the 2024 Lawrence Berkeley National Lab study, Perceptions of Large-Scale Solar Project Neighbors, researchers found that even those who oppose a large-scale renewable project will feel less against it if they are included in the decision-making process.

When to engage?

Ideally, outreach should start in some capacity before you have made final site selection. Public sentiment should be a factor in the decision to choose one site over others. If you don't start that early, however, the immediate neighbors of the project should know your name and story before the ink on the lease is dry. At that point, consider it public knowledge that you are moving into town.

And decisions are already being made by the time that most think it's time to involve the community. I'm watching this play out about ten miles away from where I live. An out-of-state developer is planning a very large energy storage project. The company should already know that the area has been historically under-resourced and has very vocal neighbors. Yet the company waited for a month after the news broke in a local independent newsletter before holding their first community meeting. They now have a potentially contentious meeting on their hands.

So what would make it worth it to risk "awakening" the opposition, opposition that you will have regardless, remember? By reaching out early in good faith, you gain respect. You will have the opportunity to explain the project benefits and get neighbors on your side. Like when a new neighbor moves in, you learn about what's important to your neighbors and how you might fulfill their wants and needs. By doing that, they will want to help you succeed and they will be much more understanding when the dust begins to fly and construction-related traffic increases. 

One thing to keep in mind: Having the community on your side pays dividends in the future. When you face even greater opposition down the road, you can tap into the goodwill you earned with positive testimonials and case studies. 

Time is of the essence, start engaging as soon as possible.

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