Holly Caggiano, Sara M. Constantino, Chris Greig & Elke U. Weber
Holly Caggiano (a CERC member from UBC Planning & Public Policy, Rutgers’ Bloustein School) and her co-authors published an article in the prestigious journal — Nature Energy, entitled “Public and local policymaker preferences for large-scale energy project characteristics” (PDF). Some key takeaways:
* Direct benefits like job creation and community ownership increase public support for large-scale energy projects.
* Support for energy projects is similar across Democrats and Republicans in the general public, suggesting opportunities for bipartisan efforts.
* Elected officials underestimate how much their constituents support projects that generate solar energy and create permanent jobs.
* Open dialogue between community members and local elected officials about prioritized project benefits may help advance energy transitions.