Agreement reached among various US solar stakeholders to drive large-scale projects

An agreement between wide variety of stakeholders marks a turning point to advance large-scale US solar projects and related conservation and community concerns, the Solar Energy Industries Association said Oct. 12.

The agreement is the result of a 20-month "Solar Uncommon Dialogue" convened by Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment, SEIA and The Nature Conservancy. It includes major solar developers, conservation groups, agricultural organizations, environmental and environmental justice groups, and tribal entities.

"We're committed to accelerating the renewable energy buildout and have to go smart to go fast," TNC CEO Jen Morris said in a statement Oct. 12. "Bringing environmental groups to the table ensures that we strike the right balance, delivering clean energy solutions while safeguarding our precious natural resources and communities."

US solar energy output is forecast to climb fivefold in the next decade, according to SEIA. It is expected that 32 GW of new solar capacity will come online in 2023, an increase of 52% year on year, according to SEIA's third quarter report. By 2028, total operating solar capacity is expected to reach 375 GW, compared with 153 GW currently.

S&P Global Commodity Insights analysts expect the US solar industry to surpass 415 GW by 2033, according to the North American Electricity Long Term Forecast supplement.

"The rapid increase in utility-scale solar also means that the industry must address various issues, including agricultural land conversion, wildlife and habitat impacts, and community engagement," SEIA said. "The Solar Uncommon Dialogue agreement stresses that the development of large solar projects must be transparent, equitable and efficient and acknowledges that this will require many trade-offs."

What's next

The group will organize six working groups to address key issues and opportunities, such as community engagement, siting-related risk assessment and decision-making, energy and agricultural technologies, tribal relations and policy solutions, according to SEIA.

The working groups will focus on improving large-scale solar development based on the "3C's":

• Climate -- emphasizes minimizing carbon emissions through clean energy sources, like solar energy and other tools, including natural climate solutions
• Conservation -- seeks to minimize impacts on natural and working lands
• Community -- commits to equitable distribution of renewable energy project benefits

"Major US solar projects are critical to fighting climate change but are increasingly opposed across the nation due to significant community and land conservation concerns," Stanford energy scholar Dan Reicher, who launched and leads the solar Uncommon Dialogue, said in the Oct. 12 statement.

Focusing on the 3C's, the working groups will strive to improve public participation practices, solar siting mechanisms, regulation, financial incentives, information tools and other means.

"The goal is to create best practices that solar companies, local governments and other stakeholders can use to effectively site solar projects," according to SEIA.

Where it started

The solar agreement sprouted from a Stanford-organized "Uncommon Dialogue," a convening of cross-sector experts and stakeholders designed to find common ground and build consensus around specific environmental challenges, according to SEIA. An Uncommon Dialogue agreement on hydropower and river conservation led to $2.3 billion in federal funding for implementation of its working groups' recommendations.

The solar dialogue and agreement have already generated an Uncommon Dialogue to address US electricity transmission development challenges for solar, wind and other new clean energy projects.