Rallying the anti-crowd: Organized opposition, democratic deficit, and a potential social gap in large-scale solar energy

Declining costs and high public support for solar energy in national surveys predict accelerated development of large-scale solar (LSS) systems across the United States. Both scholarly work and the popular press suggest LSS projects increasingly face local resistance at the project level. This gap between the number of LSS projects proposed and those completed can be thought of as a social gap, just as Bell, Gray and Haggett first described with respect to wind energy development in 2005. Here we use those scholars' framework to investigate a potential LSS social gap in four communities in Michigan. Using 34 qualitative semi-structured interviews with residents, local officials and LSS developers, we describe how a social gap may develop because of organized opposition groups generating a democratic deficit. The undue influence and organization of this vocal minority, along with a lack of meaningful engagement with residents by local officials and developers, led to distrust in relationships and the decision-making practices necessary to address residents' qualifications. Those qualifications centered on LSS's aesthetic impact, inadequate compensation, improper use of agricultural land, water safety, project size, and the transparency of decision-making processes and residents' ability to influence those processes. Our results suggest that addressing such a social gap requires increased communication and earlier engagement by local officials and developers with residents, and better alignment of agricultural values and production with LSS development. Finally, better organization of—and by—project supporters may increase opportunities to influence and take ownership of LSS projects. •A potential social gap exists with respect to large-scale solar energy in the US Midwest.•Organized opposition groups generate a democratic deficit to slow LSS development.•Visual impacts, place-based concerns and distrust create opposition to LSS.•Improved organization of LSS supporters could close social gap.