Stakeholder Engagement and Social Science

NREL's focus on stakeholder engagement and social science research—coupled with our information tools and resources—puts us in a unique position to build connections across the spectrum of wind energy stakeholders.

Arizona Wind Working Group stakeholders.

NREL is committed to connecting community decision makers and planners with topical experts to support fact-based wind energy planning and siting. We have demonstrated success in convening stakeholders, including government, industry, communities, and various interest groups, to gain a local perspective when addressing siting concerns and identifying needed resources. By providing wind energy tools, maps, workshops, and other resources, our team supports wind energy developers and those living near wind energy facilities by quantifying wind's positive impacts on communities.

Partner With Us

See a summary slide deck of NREL's wind-energy-related stakeholder engagement and social science capabilities, research, and projects. Explore more below.

Learn more about how to work with us.

Information, Tools, and Resources

Through the program, NREL provides resources to help communities navigate the impacts associated with wind energy siting and planning. In addition to facilitating technical assistance for public wind energy inquiries, NREL also conducts analyses and provides foundational siting information to illuminate the impacts of wind energy to local communities.

Areas of Expertise

  • Siting, permitting, and project development
  • Cost/benefit analyses
  • Partnerships/collaborations

Outreach and Engagement for Community Impact Issues

NREL collaborates with partners to share experiences and best practices, develop and provide information tools and resources, and address community siting and planning needs through access to issue-based expertise and knowledge.

Areas of Expertise

  • Assessing community impacts
  • Providing technical resources to mitigate siting and planning barriers
  • Conducting engagement activities that facilitate information exchange

Social Science Research of Wind Energy Acceptance

There is a growing need to understand factors that influence stakeholder opinions about wind energy and how they impact wind project deployment. Through domestic and international collaborations, NREL is gathering and assessing input to create a research strategy addressing this need.

Areas of Expertise

  • Original research and data collection
  • Levelized cost of energy impacts
  • Community engagement

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