The transition to more renewable energy could hinge on the perspectives of rural communities.

In Pennsylvania, there are no state laws about where solar projects can be placed, so a big part of the transition to renewable energy is in the hands of local governments. Some rural communities have passed ordinances to prohibit or limit solar.

Shanti Gamper-Rabindran, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said solar installation in rural areas is important to meet our goal of decarbonizing the electricity grid. 

“So being able to have buy-in from rural communities is very important,” she said.

Gamper-Rabindran wanted to learn more about people’s attitudes toward solar energy and leasing farmland for solar projects. Her team’s study was recently published in the journal Energy Research and Social Science. They spoke with 32 farmers and 16 nonfarmers in Appalachian counties in southwestern Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Gamper-Rabindran spoke with The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsopple.

LISTEN to their conversation