Establishing the social licence to operate large scale solar facilities in Australia: insights from social research for industry

The research represented in this document was funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and conducted by Ipsos Social Research Institute.

The report is based on research with the general public across Australia as well as specific research in communities living in close proximity to planned or established large scale solar energy facilities.

This project breaks new ground in terms of setting out the preconditions and best practice principles for establishing the social licence to operate that will help solar project developers streamline the project development process.

Ipsos online survey shows more than three quarters (78%) of Australians support large-scale solar energy projects. Australians see large-scale solar energy as playing an important role in Australia’s future with more than three quarters (77%) believing that large-scale solar facilities can be a significant source of energy to help meet Australia’s energy needs.