Workshop discussion leaders and expert witnesses (left to right): Richard Howarth, Professor, Dartmouth College; Anna Balkus, master’s student, UMass Boston; Chloe Jackson, PhD Candidate, UMass Boston; Ryan Calder, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech; Georgia Mavrommati, Associate Professor, UMass Boston; our own Sam Evans-Brown, CENH; Amir Gazar, PhD Candidate, Virginia Tech

Chloe Jackson

Decarbonizing New England’s electricity sector – transitioning the energy system from one based on fossil fuels (carbon-based) to one based on carbon-free or renewable energies – by 2050 is essential for meeting climate goals. To help meet these goals, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Virginia Tech, and Dartmouth College, and local partners at Clean Energy New Hampshire are working to identify projects and decarbonization pathways that have large net benefits and strong community support and acceptability.

Workshop table with GET

A community-based workshop was held on June 14th in Whitefield, NH, focused on gathering information and integrating community values into New England’s decarbonization transition. Seventeen residents from New Hampshire’s North Country participated, and scientific experts were on hand to answer questions.

The workshop consisted of both individual and group valuation exercises to assess health, economic, aesthetic, and ecological attributes associated with different clean energy pathways. Individually, participants completed surveys to rank and weight the different clean energy attributes. In addition, through structured discussion and deliberation, small groups of participants explored trade-offs and shared perspectives on clean energy attributes.

Preliminary results from the workshop suggest that economic and ecological attributes carry the most weight in participants’ trade-off decisions and are considered most important by residents. In contrast, aesthetic concerns related to clean energy infrastructure—such as transmission lines, solar farms, and offshore wind farms—were viewed as less significant. This is significant because aesthetic concerns are frequently cited by organized opposition to renewable energy projects. Researchers will conduct additional in-depth quantitative and qualitative analyses to uncover more detailed insights into the trade-offs made by individuals and small groups, both among and within the different clean energy attributes. This participatory “citizen jury” approach is intended to support informed community decision-making.