Studying Developer and Local Government Roles in Large-Scale Solar Projects in the Midwest, USA

Objective:

• Understand how large-scale solar projects take shape across the development process, from early planning through local approval

  Examine how developers and local government officials navigate regulation, risk, timelines, and public scrutiny

  Map key institutional actors and project processes to clarify roles, influence, and constraints across the development timeline

Main Impact:

• By making roles, constraints, and process dynamics more visible, this work helps developers and local governments better anticipate friction points and plan more effectivelyCommunity support for projects can be strengthened through more meaningful inclusion of their needs and wants, and more trust can be built by acknowledging aspects of solar projects that are and are not changeable.

• Solar energy product designers and developers can benefit from greater insight into community values in solar energy projects and can modify technology and systems to better align.

Lead EMBERlab Researchers: Uthman Olagoke (developer, local-government focus) and Daisy Levine (community focus)

Collaborators: Shanna Daly and Sarah Mills

Funder: Graham Sustainability Institute

Relevant publications:

• Olagoke, U., Daly, S. R., Mills, S. B., and Syal, S. M., 2025, “Designing Complex Socio-Technical Systems for Participation: Stakeholder Engagement in Utility-Scale Solar,” Proceedings of the ASME 2025 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference IDETC/CIE2025, Anaheim, CA. [link]