ILSR’s new fact sheet shows how state lawmakers can boost the community benefits of clean energy technologies, like solar and wind, by supporting locally owned projects.
Local ownership means that local residents, businesses, organizations, and/or governments have meaningful decision-making power over the clean energy projects in their communities. According to ILSR’s 2023 report Advantage Local: Why Local Energy Ownership Matters, locally owned clean energy projects maximize local jobs and economic benefits, while also increasing public support for renewable energy and building political power for climate action.
The fact sheet lists several strategies that state legislators can use to increase local ownership of clean energy, with successful state policy examples highlighted, including:
- Compensating local projects, like rooftop and community solar
- Providing grant and loan financing for locally owned projects
- Prioritizing locally owned projects in existing programs
- Simplifying rules for cooperative ownership
- Ensuring access for low-income households and people of color
To learn more, download the fact sheet, “How States Can Maximize Clean Energy Benefits with Local Ownership.”
Featured Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture, via Flickr.