Winning Acceptance of Renewable Energy

The environmental benefits of renewable energy, state requirements for sustainable power, and demand for renewable energy credits (RECs) has sharply escalated interest in solar and wind power.  But production of renewables has not yet caught up with the number of energy users looking to buy green. Lagging supply keeps prices high, limiting the number of people willing to invest in sustainable energy and putting a ceiling on the extent to which renewable power can positively impact the environment.

As the laws of supply and demand have proven, lowering the price of a good requires increasing the quantity. Often the best locations for adding to the renewable pool through new windmill farms and solar fields are located in scenic, protected and populated places.

Since its introduction to marketplace, renewable power has faced “not in my backyard" (NIMBY), opposition from communities protective of their landscapes and rights of way. Residential and commercial property owners concerned about protecting their scenic vistas understandably may attempt to impede the development of centers for energy production, transmission and distribution that could blemish their neighborhoods.

This NIMBY thinking is one of the biggest contributors to the slow progress in moving forward in the construction of renewable projects. If energy providers cannot add renewable production facilities without costly and time-consuming resistance the expense increases as they must expend additional resources to survey new locations.

Finding and Securing Desirable Sites

Addressing NIMBY resistance is vital to any renewable energy producer looking to expand production and to balance the supply and demand equation. For power providers, determining the best location for these projects is a challenge on two fronts.  First, they must locate the area that is best suited for the specific renewable project and type of energy.  Second, they need to develop a compromise with landowners to address the NIMBY issues and convince them that the renewable resource will add value for residents. They may be required to make these compromises without significantly increasing the cost of the project or detracting from the larger goal of environmental stewardship.

An essential ingredient for addressing local concerns is an outreach and education program that will inform landowners and the communities who would be affected by the project.  Developers must foster a positive relationship with the communities they’re imposing upon by offering open forums run by professional, unbiased moderators and where residents can candidly discuss their concerns and ask questions, and where developers can present the benefits that renewable energy production facilities can bring to their area.

As part of the dialog, project developers should encourage both positive and negative testimony from landowners with experience with renewable energy projects to highlight the benefits and the drawbacks in any compromises between the developer and the community.

Power providers should consider the following gestures when vying for local support of their plans for development:
 

• Offer to build the projects with as minimal impact to the surrounding landscape as possible.
• Contractually agree to repair any and all damage to the area done during construction.
• Offer priority employment and job training consideration for those residing in the immediate area or state.
• Offer reasonable relocation compensation for those who wish to move away from the project.
• Provide free or low-cost energy to those in the immediate surrounding areas of the project to counter the public perception of corporate greed.  (This discounted energy can be capped at a specified maximum kilowatt hours per month, and anything exceeding that limit would be charged at the regular price).
  
  As long as both parties remain open to each others needs, concerns, and values, a mutually beneficial compromise can be achieved.  Customers in the United States are seeing yearly double-digit percent increases in their electric rates. If we are going to make significant forward advances in renewable energy and get prices back under control, local communities must consider some compromises to convenience. The acceptance and proliferation of renewable energy development will ultimately result in lower energy rates, a decrease in harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and a reduced dependence on foreign oil.