MIT Energy Initiative 2024 Annual Research Conference The MIT Energy Initiative’s 2024 Annual Research Conference explored the path to a sustainable energy transition, emphasizing the need for community involvement, policy support, and innovation in clean technologies like hydrogen, energy storage, and carbon capture. Larry Susskind highlighted the importance of addressing stakeholder concerns as new infrastructure is developed, stressing that balancing these interests will

Decarbonizing the United States’ energy supplies to meet climate targets will require a rapid transition to renewable energy. Some estimates suggest that renewable energy capacity must expand by 38-67 GW per year by 2030, largely through utility-scale solar and wind deployment. Despite significant financial injections from landmark legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, roadblocks remain. Local Oppositions Chief among thes

Read about the Offshore Wind Power Hub resource from the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) : Montpelier, VT – As offshore wind development moves forward in the U.S., a timely and first-of-its-kind tool has been launched: the Offshore Wind Power Hub . This website lets stakeholders, the media, and the public visualize offshore wind projects across the country and track their development in real time. This new tool will provide essential information for supporters of offsh

A recent VerdeXchange feature explores how California policymakers are considering new approaches to streamline renewable energy permitting while still addressing community concerns and environmental protections. California faces significant pressure to rapidly expand clean energy infrastructure in order to meet the state’s climate goals. According to the article, achieving these targets will require major increases in utility-scale solar, battery storage, electric vehicle ch

Despite the urgent need for infrastructure to support clean energy, long-distance electric transmission projects have often been stalled due to a combination of political, legal, and community opposition. How Grid Projects Get Stuck" identifies key challenges such as inadequate community engagement, land rights disputes, uneven distribution of benefits, and resistance from incumbent energy firms. Through four case studies of transmission projects across the U.S., the report h

A recent article from T&D World highlights how failures to meaningfully engage Tribal Nations continue to be a major source of opposition to renewable energy development in the United States. As the clean energy transition accelerates, renewable energy developers are increasingly encountering resistance when projects move forward without early consultation, transparency, or respect for tribal sovereignty. The article explains that many renewable energy projects are proposed o

A recent episode of the JLL Perspectives Podcast examines how the rapid expansion of renewable energy projects is affecting landowners and rural communities across the United States. As demand for utility-scale solar, wind, and transmission infrastructure continues to grow, many agricultural landowners are increasingly being approached by renewable energy developers seeking long-term land leases. While these projects can create new economic opportunities for farmers and rural

Check out this op-ed in Recharge , which demonstrates that widespread rejection of renewable energy projects is crippling the industry. Developers have a political problem on their hands—one that starts at the local level and bleeds into statehouses. Coauthors Ayelet Hines and Mike Casey apply time-tested political strategies to what is an inherently political problem. "The clean energy sector needs to adapt outdated permitting tactics to current 'hardball' realities." Source

In a recent interview on Wisconsin Public Radio, Lawrence Susskind discussed the growing conflicts surrounding utility-scale solar development and the challenges of deciding where renewable energy infrastructure should be located. As states work to expand clean energy generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, solar developers are increasingly seeking large areas of land for utility-scale projects. While many communities support renewable energy goals, disputes often eme

Community benefits agreements (CBAs) are contracts negotiated between developers and communities regarding commitments in exchange for local support of proposed projects. Though a relatively new tool, CBAs are gaining traction as a means of guaranteeing equitable benefits and mitigating negative impacts of developments, including renewable energy facilities. This report provides background on the legal history and rationale behind CBAs, case studies of their use for energy pr

To accelerate renewable energy buildout in the U.S., some states are shifting to preempt local control over large-scale renewable energy facility siting decisions. Recent policy changes in New York, California, and Michigan consolidate state-level authority to streamline the permitting process. This report analyzes these emerging trends towards state preemption, finding they may accelerate project approval but risk limiting public participation and equitable distribution of c

Original Authors: Maya Alcantara, Mia Astudillo, Solange Camacho, Nicolas Campos, Will Groshek, Van Murakmi, and Kelsey Naupari-Camacho Photo from https://www.georgetown.edu/news/georgetown-advances-commitment-to-sustainability-through-new-partnership-aimed-at-reducing-energy-consumption/ Shared with the MIT Renewable Energy Clinic by Raphael Tisch, Senior Project Analyst – U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office Summary In the spring of 2023, a group of stu

A recent episode from Reveal examines the growing opposition to large-scale solar development in rural communities across the United States. The episode explores how utility-scale solar projects, despite their climate benefits, have increasingly become sources of local conflict in many farming regions. While renewable energy is often broadly supported in principle, tensions can emerge when large projects are proposed near homes, farms, and rural communities. Residents intervi

The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic is excited to share Cipher’s new Cleantech Tracker released in January 2024. The tracker provides a visual of areas of environmental innovation, showing the progress of technologies like carbon management, clean hydrogen production, hydrogen electrolyzer manufacturing and sustainable aviation fuel. You can access the tracker here .

Researchers from Berkeley Lab, Michigan State, and the University of Michigan conducted in-depth case studies and interviews across 7 utility-scale solar sites in diverse U.S. locations, ranging from the Southwest to the Midwest. The selected sites represented a wide range of project sizes from 1 to 80 MW, as well as varied locations, site types, and local zoning contexts. In total, they interviewed 54 diverse stakeholders including local residents living near the projects, l

[ READ MORE HERE ] Summary In December 2022, a coalition of nine environmental justice and conservation organizations sent a letter to President Biden outlining a set of principles to accelerate the buildout of electricity transmission infrastructure. The groups argue that at least a doubling or tripling of current transmission buildout rates is needed to achieve the country's climate goals and deliver on the historic investments in renewable energy expansion made through the