Uncovering public perceptions of solar projects in Pennsylvania
A shared interest in sustainability forged a fast friendship between rising juniors Nicholas Kwok, a political science and environmental studies major, and Sandro Mocciolo, a mathematics and environmental studies major. Now Kwok and Mocciolo are channeling their passion into action, jointly pursuing a study of public acceptance of solar energy projects, supported by the Environmental Innovations Initiative’s Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Renewable Energy Research Program, funded in partnership by the University of Pennsylvania and AES.
By Xime Trujillo
A shared interest in sustainability forged a fast friendship between rising juniors Nicholas Kwok, a political science and environmental studies major, and Sandro Mocciolo, a mathematics and environmental studies major. Now Kwok and Mocciolo are channeling their passion into action, jointly pursuing a study of public acceptance of solar energy projects, supported by the Environmental Innovations Initiative’s Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Renewable Energy Research Program, funded in partnership by the University of Pennsylvania and AES.
With supervision by Jon Hawkings, assistant professor of earth and environmental science, and Parrish Bergquist, assistant professor of political science, both in the School of Arts & Sciences, the study concentrates on Pennsylvania, a “purple” state, where candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties are competitive in statewide elections.
“There are many surveys related to the acceptance of energy projects based on how they are structured, how large they are, how close they are to the community, and how much energy they produce,” says Mocciolo. “Our research is unique because it contributes to new efforts focusing on political and ideological views, which are important when companies are marketing solar, policymakers are passing legislation, and organizations are transitioning to renewable energy.”
Turning a passion into a research project
In the fall semester of 2023, on the very first day of Introduction to Environmental Science, a 150-student class taught by Hawkings, Kwok randomly chose a seat next to Mocciolo. They quickly discovered a shared love of the environment and sustainability, further bonding through the year as they joined clubs like Penn Climate Ventures and Penn Sustainability Consulting.
Penn's vibrant business culture allowed Kwok and Mocciolo to connect sustainability with the energy sector. "No matter where you are, a company relies on energy. Energy research is fascinating because it is vital for our economy and society," says Kwok. Upon seeing the call for projects as part of the PPA Renewable Energy Research Program, they were inspired to propose a study focused on solar projects. Unlike other studies that examine more economic and physical factors when it comes to public approval of large-scale solar facilities, they aimed to investigate connections with political views and social context.
Blending their areas of burgeoning expertise, Kwok and Mocciolo conducted thorough background research into renewable energy and social acceptance to design their survey. They developed questions to gauge factors like trust in government institutions, worldviews, opinions on climate change, and renewable energy.
In the context of Pennsylvania, they needed to account for specific attitudes towards energy sources and land use. “For instance, to account for the local relevance of fossil fuels, we phrased questions to understand respondents’ views on a spectrum of priorities, from solar renewable energy to coal and natural gas,” notes Mocciolo. The students also developed questions to assess and compare the acceptance of solar rooftop systems and large-scale arrays.
Designing the survey took months; getting responses was much faster. In just over two weeks, from mid-May to early June, Centiment, a consulting firm and partner of this project, distributed the survey and collected answers from a representative sample of 2,000 Pennsylvanians. “We did not conceptualize the meaning of our 2,000 responses goal until we opened the files and started scrolling down,” says Mocciolo. “Our data is essentially profiling an entire state.”
The next step involves analyzing the data to uncover correlations across variables such as geography, age, and type of home owned. “Each data point may be a number, but the response reflects each participant’s perception of the energy transition,” says Kwok. “We now must humanize these numbers to show what the energy transition story means for Pennsylvanians.”
Leveraging data to support sustainability
After their analysis is complete, Kwok and Mocciolo plan to use it to inform effective communication and engagement strategies to foster responsible deployment of solar energy projects. Their results will support policy briefs that Kwok and Mocciolo hope to share at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, as well as within Penn, to guide decision making and planning processes aligned with sustainability strategies.
Gaining insight into public acceptance of solar across the political spectrum is their ultimate goal. While working to achieve it, Kwok and Mocciolo have themselves gained a robust appreciation for all that is involved in conducting research.
"We wanted to ensure that we are not only filling a gap in the literature, but also honoring previous efforts," notes Mocciolo. Being entrusted to lead such a significant research project, Kwok says, was a unique experience for two undergraduates. "As leaders of our project, we had to think two steps ahead to move forward,” he says. “This opportunity taught us how to be resourceful and proactive."