Thanks to market forces and targeted policies, a clean energy transition is sweeping across the United States, bringing communities important benefits such as economic opportunity, cheaper electricity, and a cleaner environment. But not all communities will be able to share in these benefits because they have adopted restrictions on the development of new renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, and battery storage.
Seven hundred seventy-five counties in the contiguous United States have restrictions in place targeting renewable energy, representing 25 percent of all counties. You can learn more about them in our interactive map below.
Among these counties, roughly 32 percent are located in areas with elevated rates of socioeconomic risk, including higher unemployment and lower per capita income, than comparable regions. Furthermore, 37 percent of counties with renewable energy restrictions are characterized by high “energy burden,” which means households there spend disproportionately large amounts of their income on meeting energy costs.
When it comes to “energy communities” (i.e., those recognized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as having a local economy largely built on fossil fuel production or use), a relatively small percentage are located in counties with renewable energy restrictions. We found 1,303 counties that contain energy communities, but only 19 percent of these have restrictions on building clean energy infrastructure.
Thanks to market forces and targeted policies, a clean energy transition is sweeping across the United States, bringing communities important benefits such as economic opportunity, cheaper electricity, and a cleaner environment. But not all communities will be able to share in these benefits because they have adopted restrictions on the development of new renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, and battery storage.
Viewing this map with a computer-based web browser is strongly recommended
Click to open the map in a new tab (not recommended for mobile)
Why should we care about municipal and county clean energy restrictions?
Energy justice: Our findings have important implications for the achievement of a just, clean energy transition in the United States, as they suggest that many people — particularly those from structurally marginalized communities — could be denied the opportunity to participate fully in the benefits and opportunities that this transition promises to bring.
Energy democracy: Our findings also raise important questions about how to achieve a just, clean energy transition consistent with principles of “energy democracy,” or the ability of people to collectively determine their energy goals and how best to achieve them.
We offer recommendations for policymakers and clean energy advocates on addressing the following issues: