Set State Standards for Solar

Issue Briefing

Learn (just enough) about this no-brainer solution to do something about it.

Clear Ask to Policymakers:

States should set minimum standards to guide solar development siting, helping local governments move good projects forward.

THE PROBLEM
Despite the popularity of solar, local laws are stifling solar development.

We’re talking about building utility-scale solar. These are larger solar developments necessary to meet U.S. energy needs and global decarbonization goals. Utility-scale solar is primarily built in rural or suburban areas, not urban centers.

One of the biggest barriers to bringing new solar power online is local opposition. More specifically, it’s the proliferation of local laws, usually at the county level, that make it functionally impossible – or even outright illegal – to build new solar farms.

These laws are usually passed at the county level, and they most often come in the form of zoning or land-use rules. This is the bread and butter of local government: land is divided into zones – like agricultural, residential, commercial, or industrial – with specific rules for what activity and development is allowed in which tracts.
The simplest bans might say, “Solar development is not permitted in any zone.” The more creative bans might say, “Solar development is only allowed in industrial zones” – when there’s almost no land with that zoning designation. The most creative bans might say, “Solar development is allowed in these zones, but only if they meet certain requirements,” with requirements so onerous they functionally preclude development.
For example:
- In X county, X.
- In Y county, Y.
Unfortunately, this trend of restrictive local zoning is only getting worse:
- Widespread: 15% of counties have effectively banned new utility-scale wind, solar, or both.
Accelerating: Of the 116 counties implementing bans or restrictions on utility-scale solar, half did so in 2023 alone. Clean energy is being banned faster than it’s being built!

But wait! There’s more than meets the eye.

This pattern of restrictive local laws does not reflect public opinion—at all.

An overwhelming majority of Americans (75%) support building clean energy in their communities. This is also true across political ideologies: Republicans (66%), Independents (72%), Suburban (74%), and Rural (71%) Americans. (Source.)

In reality, these restrictions are the result of a well-organized, civically-engaged minority. When the county commission holds its (dry, technical, and boring 3-hour) meeting on the new land ordinance (in the middle of the work day, to boot!), the only people motivated enough to show up are the well-organized opponents. When local decisions are directly influenced by those who show up, it’s easy to understand how passionate opponents have an outsized impact. If support for clean energy is a mile wide and an inch deep, then opposition is an inch wide and a mile deep.

“These tend to be the most civically engaged people. On TikTok, a video might go viral about how great solar panels are, but if the people watching that video don't show up to the county commission meeting, then it doesn't really matter… What starts on Facebook quickly bleeds into town halls and county commission meetings.”

– Michael Thomas, Investigative Journalist on Volts

Some of it is legitimate: Histories of extraction, where companies develop the land and leave with the profits, leave communities skeptical of developers. Love and nostalgia for familiar landscapes make local residents resistant to change.
But some of the opposition is intentionally fomented by national organizations using mis- and dis-information. Via local Facebook groups and other online forums, tSolar panels are worse for the environment than fossil fuels, wind turbines kill birds, or clean energy projects tank property values (all false). These arguments are rooted in mistrust and fear, two powerful drivers of human behavior.
This misinformation swirls in local Facebook groups – yes, particularly on Facebook – where it’s paired with a call-to-action: attend the county commission meeting! Write a public comment!
which have been intentionally spread via dedicated, national organizations whose mission is to delay and block clean energy across the country. As has been extensively documented by USA Today, NPR, Floodlight, and more, many of these national groups are linked to fossil fuel funding are sowing seemingly-grassroots opposition– a practice known as “astroturfing.” whose mission is to delay and block clean energy across the country. Many of these
As has been documented extensively by USA Today, NPR, and more,
that engages with often-overlooked local decisionmakers.

A SOLUTION
States should set standards.

[ PLACEHOLDER: updated copy forthcoming ]

Case Study:

[ PLACEHOLDER: updated copy forthcoming ]

[ PLACEHOLDER: updated copy forthcoming ]

OUR ROLE
What can we do about it?

As constituents, our job is to:

Put no-brainer solutions on the radar of our elected officials.
If there is active legislation in our state, enthusiastically support it (find out below).
Always make clear that we expect clean, reliable energy.

[ PLACEHOLDER: updated copy forthcoming ]
Passing and implementing legislation takes years. So, how do we start moving the needle now?
- 👏 Get helpful resources circulating among elected officials.
- 👏 Secure co-sponsorships or votes on legislation.
- 👏 Get the various stakeholders (legislators, DOTs, PUCs, utility companies) to get in touch with one another on the topic.
- 👏 Connect enthusiastic lawmakers with experts.
- 👏 Follow up to get real answers (Circling back! Bumping to the top of your inbox!). A friendly nudge applies pressure to hold them accountable, and the answer helps us better understand our state’s policy landscapes and become ever more productive advocates.

Most states have already been thinking, talking, and working on solar development siting. The embedded state-by-state table below shows key bills your state has been considering, the recommended “asks” to include in your outreach, and—because at any given time, some state legislatures are in session, others aren’t—there’s a column for whether your state is currently in session or not! It’s everything you need to be an effective messenger on this issue.

👇 Use this embedded tool to see if your state has solar-related legislation:

What’s happening in your state (below!) informs how to tailor your outreach with a “clear ask” to each of your policymakers.

Not seeing this spreadsheet? Click here!

STOP! You know enough to take meaningful action.

Take action now

Curious and want to learn more? Cool, scroll on!

Quick links to navigate this Issue Briefing (or just keep scrolling!)

[ PLACEHOLDER: updated copy forthcoming ]

Top Talking Points

Choose the framing that resonates best with your policymaker. Learn more about meeting your rep where they are here.

“Enabling solar development in our state would…

📈 …help meet rapidly rising energy demand. Today, solar is the cheapest and fastest form of energy to build, so we should be deploying as much of it as quickly as possible.
💰 …keep utility bills from rising. If we can’t build solar, we’ll have to build more expensive sources of energy, like natural gas, which will raise rates for consumers.
🚧 …bring economic development to rural communities, via new tax revenue for county governments. These funds can be used for everything from local infrastructure to lowering taxes to funding school budgets. For example, in Georgetown, SC, a solar farm will generate over $20 million in tax revenue for the county.
🚜 …give farmers a new lifeline by allowing them to gain a new revenue stream. Solar revenue allows farmers to keep their land parcels intact, and even continue grazing livestock and growing crops around the solar panels.
🗳️ …be popular with voters. 75% of Americans are comfortable with a solar farm being developed in their community. This is true of Republican (66%), Independent (72%), Suburban (74%), and Rural (71%) Americans.
🏠 …protect private property rights. Every American should be able to do as they please with their private property, and local governments shouldn’t infringe on that right, especially by targeting one specific use of that property. What’s next?
👾 …improve American competitiveness in the global AI race.

What does good solar regulation look like:

When a county is updating their zoning rules to address solar development, there are several places where opponents (or even well-meaning but ill-informed decision-makers!) can sneak in ‘poison pills.’ Minimum standards set by the state would protect against these poison pills, without taking all control from local decision-makers.

Here are some examples:

Zones: Which zones should we allow solar development?

🙌 Recommended: Industrial, commercial, rural-residential, and agricultural zones
🙄 Poison Pill: Bans in any of the above zones.

Noise: How noisy will this solar farm be?

🙌 Recommended: Noise limits aren’t necessary at all!
🙄 Poison pill: Anything lower than 50 decibels, which is the sound of a refrigerator. (While the panels themselves are silent, the accompanying inverters that connect the farm to the power grid run at 45-50 decibels).

For a really great deep dive, check out Greenlight America: What makes a good local ordinance?

This infographic on setbacks is just one example of recommended vs. poison pill requirements—with real impacts. If a potential solar site can’t fit enough panels for the project to make financial sense, the developer may scrap it, or at most will build a smaller project with fewer benefits.

Height: How tall should we let these solar panels be?

🙌 Recommended: 20-25 feet. Solar panels are about 15-feet tall at full tilt, and are sometimes raised higher to allow farming and grazing underneath (a practice called agrivoltaics).
🙄 Poison pill: Less than 15 feet.

Setbacks: How far back from other property or buildings should this farm be?