Solar is wildly popular. So why are counties banning it?
Let’s play a quick game of "What Doesn’t Belong?"
✅ The sun is free.
✅ Americans love solar power.
✅ Solar energy is the cheapest energy to build right now.
❌ Counties are effectively banning solar energy development.
Wait, what?
Yep. Despite strong public support and plummeting costs, “grid-scale” solar projects are getting shut down before they even get started. Not by fossil fuel companies (well, not directly), but by local laws passed on a quiet Tuesday afternoon at a county commission meeting no one attended.
Welcome to the weird, wonky world of solar siting. Let’s break it down—and show you how you can help fix it.
Key Takeaways
Solar power is overwhelmingly popular, cheap, and essential. But local laws are blocking big solar projects from getting off the ground. That’s misaligned with our growing energy needs, public opinion, and our climate goals.
The fix? States should pass policies to streamline the bureaucratic “siting” process to help good projects move forward.
You can help by speaking up in support of solar, even just once.
The problem: A rapidly accelerating patchwork of local laws—misaligned with science and public opinion—is blocking solar development.
Grid-scale solar is what we need if we’re serious about ditching fossil fuels. Think solar farms that can power thousands of homes—not just a few rooftop panels.
But across the country, county-level zoning laws are tying these projects up in knots. Some are outright bans (“no solar allowed here, period”), while others are more creative. For example:
Solar is only allowed in industrial zones… but there are no industrial zones .
Solar is allowed, if it meets a laundry list of absurd requirements—like a 500-foot buffer from every nearby property line.
The result? Clean energy projects are being blocked faster than they’re being built. And it’s accelerating. Half of the 116 counties that restrict solar development passed those restrictions just last year.
Meanwhile, a whopping 75% of Americans say they’d be comfortable with clean energy built in their community. That includes majorities across party lines, from suburban independents to rural Republicans.
A fix: States can streamline solar siting.
The patchwork of state and local laws (including outright bans in 15% of counties) are confusing, onerous, and restrictive to the point that they’re a top hindrance to solar development. Many are related to siting—the bureaucratic rules for building solar projects—which is done differently in nearly every U.S. county.
State legislatures could pass policies that streamline the siting process to get good projects built faster. There are a couple of useful policy levers that they can choose from:
Set state-wide standards. States set a baseline or a “floor” that local governments must follow when making rules about where and how solar can be built. States that pass these standards preserve local control while making sure a single town can’t torpedo the clean energy future for the entire state.
Create a state siting authority. The state creates a new agency with more resources, a balanced community engagement process, and reasonable project criteria to handle the big and important clean energy projects. This alleviates the administrative burden from often under-resourced local officials.
Both approaches are already working—often in a hybrid form! Either way, the goal of state-level siting reform is to make the process clear and fair so developers can build what works, and communities can say no to what doesn’t, without being strangled by red tape.
Your Role: Be the sun-loving, solar-supporter in the room!
We know. Maybe siting policy isn’t exactly sexy. But here’s the deal: These local decisions shape how fast (or slow) we transition to clean energy. And your voice—yes, yours—can actually make a difference. Nearly every state legislature in the country is talking about how to meet rising energy demand from AI, and nearly every single time, siting policy comes up. This is very much a “live ball,” so let’s influence the direction it goes.
Here’s what to do:
Email your state rep. Tell them you support common-sense solar siting reforms. Even a short note helps build important political momentum. (We have a step-by-step playbook and script for this!)
Share the facts. Most people don’t think about solar development often, so paint the vision: new tax revenue to communities, stable power access, farmers able to shade their sheep and reduce water waste, industrial land put to dual use—all while embracing clean energy momentum and saving the planet! Talk about it. Post about it. Send this blog to your climate group chat.
Show up. Find a pro-solar group in your area and plug in, or join a virtual or in-person Climate Changemakers Action Team! If there’s a local meeting about land use or solar, attend. You definitely do not need to be an expert to use your voice—just a friendly neighbor who likes sunshine and stable power bills.
Remember: The opponents are already organized, but the vast majority of Americans support solar—we just need to organize and start acting like it.
☀️ Ready to get in on the action? New Action Plan resources drop on July 7! Join our nationwide network of communities who will be emailing state officials, shifting the public narrative, mobilizing supporters to town halls, and more. July and August only! Kick-off talks are Monday, July 7 (live talk) and Friday, July 11. RSVP!
