Roberta S Nilson
Biographic Data
| ID | 4257459 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Roberta S Nilson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Roberta S |
| FAMILY NAME | Nilson |
| SIGNATURE | NILSON R S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5450-0719 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 76 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Go slow to go fast? A review of the impacts of permitting on large-scale solar project development
State and local permitting challenges could impede the ability of large-scale solar (LSS) to meet growing electricity demand in the United States. Here, we review research that explores LSS permitting and its impacts on the pace and scale of LSS project development. Research on LSS permitting is relatively scarce, such that we support our review with research in the context of wind permitting, where appropriate. Further, few studies attempt to ri…
Missing the mark
Under-capacitated and over-powered? Rural austerity and asymmetrical negotiating relationships in US wind energy development
Though rural local governments are central actors in renewable energy development, local governments in the United States (US) remain systematically under-funded. This paper considers what the manifestations of austerity in local governments broadly and rural localities specifically mean for renewable energy development and for energy transitions. Drawing on a survey of 262 elected county officials with experience with wind energy in eight US sta…
Halfway up the ladder
Community engagement is a key pathway for incorporating social considerations into the development of utility-scale renewable energy facilities. Prior literature recommends meaningful, early community engagement to both improve siting outcomes and empower the public to participate in decision-making, but there is no recent nor comprehensive understanding of industry experiences with engagement. This study provides a critical contribution by revea…
What to expect when you're expecting engagement
Community engagement in the planning process to build large-scale solar (LSS) projects can win local support and advance procedural justice. However, an understanding of community engagement in current LSS development is lacking. Using responses from a U.S. nationwide survey (n = 979) of residential neighbors living within 3 miles (4.8 km) of completed LSS projects (i.e. “solar neighbors”) and project details from the U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photo…
Good fences make good neighbors
In order to meet decarbonization goals, the number of large-scale solar (LSS) facilities in the US is expected to increase considerably. The advantages of LSS over fossil-fueled power generation are numerous and well documented. However, residents living nearby proposed and existing LSS sites have voiced a number of concerns about LSS, including its possible impacts to farmland and agricultural production, biodiversity, stormwater runoff, home an…
Reacting to the Rural Burden
Rural landscapes are under increasing development pressure from utility-scale solar (USS) energy facilities while public attitudes toward these facilities remain poorly documented and understood. This study explores whether opposition to USS in upstate New York is shaped at least in part by perceived rural burden-the idea that rural people and places are unfairly expected to provide new renewable energy in response to urban demand. We explore the…
Are big and small solar separate things
Personal harm and support for climate change mitigation policies
Reacting to the Rural Burden
Rural landscapes are under increasing development pressure from utility-scale solar (USS) energy facilities while public attitudes toward these facilities remain poorly documented and understood. This study explores whether opposition to USS in upstate New York is shaped at least in part by perceived rural burden-the idea that rural people and places are unfairly expected to provide new renewable energy in response to urban demand. We explore the…
Personal harm and support for climate change mitigation policies
What to expect when you're expecting engagement
Community engagement in the planning process to build large-scale solar (LSS) projects can win local support and advance procedural justice. However, an understanding of community engagement in current LSS development is lacking. Using responses from a U.S. nationwide survey (n = 979) of residential neighbors living within 3 miles (4.8 km) of completed LSS projects (i.e. “solar neighbors”) and project details from the U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photo…
Are big and small solar separate things
Good fences make good neighbors
In order to meet decarbonization goals, the number of large-scale solar (LSS) facilities in the US is expected to increase considerably. The advantages of LSS over fossil-fueled power generation are numerous and well documented. However, residents living nearby proposed and existing LSS sites have voiced a number of concerns about LSS, including its possible impacts to farmland and agricultural production, biodiversity, stormwater runoff, home an…
Halfway up the ladder
Community engagement is a key pathway for incorporating social considerations into the development of utility-scale renewable energy facilities. Prior literature recommends meaningful, early community engagement to both improve siting outcomes and empower the public to participate in decision-making, but there is no recent nor comprehensive understanding of industry experiences with engagement. This study provides a critical contribution by revea…
Missing the mark
Personal harm and support for climate change mitigation policies
Are big and small solar separate things
Good fences make good neighbors
In order to meet decarbonization goals, the number of large-scale solar (LSS) facilities in the US is expected to increase considerably. The advantages of LSS over fossil-fueled power generation are numerous and well documented. However, residents living nearby proposed and existing LSS sites have voiced a number of concerns about LSS, including its possible impacts to farmland and agricultural production, biodiversity, stormwater runoff, home an…
Reacting to the Rural Burden
Rural landscapes are under increasing development pressure from utility-scale solar (USS) energy facilities while public attitudes toward these facilities remain poorly documented and understood. This study explores whether opposition to USS in upstate New York is shaped at least in part by perceived rural burden-the idea that rural people and places are unfairly expected to provide new renewable energy in response to urban demand. We explore the…
Halfway up the ladder
Community engagement is a key pathway for incorporating social considerations into the development of utility-scale renewable energy facilities. Prior literature recommends meaningful, early community engagement to both improve siting outcomes and empower the public to participate in decision-making, but there is no recent nor comprehensive understanding of industry experiences with engagement. This study provides a critical contribution by revea…
What to expect when you're expecting engagement
Community engagement in the planning process to build large-scale solar (LSS) projects can win local support and advance procedural justice. However, an understanding of community engagement in current LSS development is lacking. Using responses from a U.S. nationwide survey (n = 979) of residential neighbors living within 3 miles (4.8 km) of completed LSS projects (i.e. “solar neighbors”) and project details from the U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photo…
Go slow to go fast? A review of the impacts of permitting on large-scale solar project development
State and local permitting challenges could impede the ability of large-scale solar (LSS) to meet growing electricity demand in the United States. Here, we review research that explores LSS permitting and its impacts on the pace and scale of LSS project development. Research on LSS permitting is relatively scarce, such that we support our review with research in the context of wind permitting, where appropriate. Further, few studies attempt to ri…
Missing the mark
Under-capacitated and over-powered? Rural austerity and asymmetrical negotiating relationships in US wind energy development
Though rural local governments are central actors in renewable energy development, local governments in the United States (US) remain systematically under-funded. This paper considers what the manifestations of austerity in local governments broadly and rural localities specifically mean for renewable energy development and for energy transitions. Drawing on a survey of 262 elected county officials with experience with wind energy in eight US sta…
Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy (8 works) · Political science (6 works) · Geography (5 works) · Economics (4 works) · Energy and Environment Impacts (4 works) · Scale (ratio (4 works) · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance (4 works) · Business (3 works) · Cartography (3 works) · Electrical engineering (3 works)