Navigating wind energy siting in the U.S.: The role of permitting and siting regulations and public engagement

Abstract

Wind energy is the leading source of renewable electricity in the U.S., yet achieving over 400 GW of capacity by 2050 for net-zero emissions remains challenging. Existing research predominantly examines the impact of technical factors and financial incentives on wind deployment, while limited attention has been given to the regulatory landscape of project siting and permitting at the state and local levels. This study investigates how wind energy siting policies, including local zoning ordinances and state-level public engagement rules, influence wind project siting decisions. The findings show that the comprehensiveness of ordinance policies is positively correlated with both the likelihood of hosting a wind project and the project's installed capacity, while stricter ordinance policies tend to be negatively associated with these siting outcomes. Furthermore, state-level public engagement rules that emphasize more procedural justice tend to lower the probability of hosting a wind project. By analyzing both national data and a Midwest subsample, this study offers comparative insights into the impact of state and local wind siting policies.