Informing utility-scale energy generation and storage decisions
Community Impacts & Public Response
We produce empirical research on individual and community impacts of and responses to energy infrastructure development, as well as public engagement and acceptance strategies.
Utility-scale generation and storage development impacts individuals and local communities in myriad ways. EMP produces empirical research on those impacts.
We also assess community, developer, and decision-maker strategies and perspectives on siting and permitting procedures to improve outcomes.
Selected Projects
- U.S. Wind Turbine Database
- US Large-Scale Photovoltaic Database
- National Survey of Wind Energy Neighbors
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Recent Publications
Hoen, Ben, James Diffendorfer, Joseph Rand, Louisa Kramer, Chris Garrity, and Hannah Hunt."US Wind Turbine Database Files."
(2026). DOI
Fujita, K Sydny, Louisa Kramer, James Diffendorfer, Dana Robson, Ben Hoen, Chris Garrity, and Jing Ke."US Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database Files."
(2026).
Rand, Joseph, Louisa Kramer, Ben Hoen, Jay Diffendorfer, and Christopher Garrity."Out With the Old: Empirical Trends in U.S. Land‐Based Wind Turbine Decommissioning and Repowering."Wind Energy
29.3 (2026). DOI
Elmallah, Salma, Robi Nilson, Joseph Rand, Emma Uridge, and Ben Hoen."Under-capacitated and over-powered? Rural austerity and asymmetrical negotiating relationships in US wind energy development."Journal of Rural Studies
119 (2025) 103749. DOI
O'Shaughnessy, Eric, Robi Nilson, and Joseph Rand."Go slow to go fast? A review of the impacts of permitting on large-scale solar project development."Energy Research & Social Science
127 (2025) 104318. DOI
Hoen, Ben, Eric Brunner, and David Schwegman."Uplifting winds: The surprisingly positive community-wide impact of wind energy installations on property values."Energy Research & Social Science
127 (2025) 104331. DOI
Rand, Joseph, Karl Hoesch, Robi Nilson, Ben Hoen, Sarah Mills, Douglas L Bessette, and Jacob White."More power to them: U.S. large-scale solar neighbors' support for additional solar."Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy
4 (2025). DOI
Hoesch, Karl, Sarah Mills, Joseph Rand, Robi Nilson, Douglas L Bessette, Jacob White, and Ben Hoen."What to expect when you're expecting engagement: Delivering procedural justice in large-scale solar energy deployment."Energy Research & Social Science
120 (2025). DOI
Seel, Joachim, Mel Moyce, and Sydney Forrester."A Clean Energy Deployment Baseline for the Energy Community and Low-Income Tax Credit Bonuses."
(2024).
Gilbert, Ben, Ben Hoen, and Hannah Gagarin."Distributional Equity in the Employment and Wage Impacts of Energy Transitions."Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
11 (2024). DOI
National Survey of Attitudes of Wind Power Project Neighbors