Cooperative Agreement DEEE0011467

The Trustees of Princeton University, through its Office of Research and Project Administration, has been awarded a $2,485,114 Cooperative Agreement by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Renewable Energy Research and Development (CFDA 81.087) Federal Grant Program. The project will investigate whether a reimagined approach to community benefit mechanisms (CBMs) can address challenges related to large-scale solar (LSS) energy project siting and community acceptance. The research aims to identify features of CBMs that have the largest impact on community acceptance, develop processes for co-producing CBMs with communities, and deliver a better understanding of how local conditions affect CBM effectiveness. Key project outputs will include stakeholder-directed fact sheets and academic papers summarizing the results and implications for creating more equitable and transparent LSS siting and community benefit practices.