Local, state opposition to wind and solar projects increased in 2023, study finds

Opposition to wind and solar projects on the state and local level increased significantly last year, according to a new study by Columbia University’s Sabine Center for Climate Change Law. 

In 2023, the report found 73% more local restrictions than the previous year’s report released in May 2023, and 111% more state-level restrictions. 

“In nearly every state, local governments have enacted laws and regulations to block or restrict renewable energy facilities, or project opponents have succeeded in forcing the delay or cancellation of particular projects, or both have occurred,” the report states. 

The researchers say that the volume and nature of the restrictions and controversies in the report demonstrate that local opposition to renewable energy facilities is “widespread and growing,” which is a “potentially significant impediment to the achievement of climate goals.” 

The report mirrors data from energy expert Robert Bryce’s renewable rejection database, which keeps a record of such rejections based on news reports. According to the database, there were 66 rejections of renewable energy projects in 2014. So far this year, there have been 682.