Getting to “Yes, in my Backyard!” – Overcoming Local Objections to Energy Storage

Key Takeaways

• Successful energy storage siting starts with early community engagement
  Developers that begin outreach before permits are filed are better positioned to identify concerns, build trust, and reduce local opposition.
• Battery storage project communications should focus on people, not hardware
  The most effective messaging explains how a project benefits the host community, rather than centering only on megawatts, system size, or technical capacity.
• A project website is essential for shaping public understanding
  Clear, accessible digital content can educate residents on battery storage safety, project purpose, and local relevance before misinformation fills the gap.
• Community support grows when local benefits are specific and visible
  Job creation, grid reliability, tax revenue, and improved energy resilience are among the strongest messages for earning local and political buy-in.
• Proactive communications can help prevent costly project delays
  Dedicated outreach, local media engagement, and consistent stakeholder communication are critical to overcoming NIMBY resistance and advancing energy storage development.

In 2025, the energy storage industry avoided the worst fallout from recent federal policy changes. Despite new Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restrictions, lawmakers largely preserved storage tax incentives. 2026 is widely anticipated to be the year of the energy storage breakout and massive grid infrastructure development. However, such projects are facing increasing NIMBY roadblocks and local political resistance.

How can energy storage developers address community concerns and get projects built? The key is early and effective communications.

When companies first announce new battery sites, they usually focus on size. They talk about how much electricity the project will deliver to the regional grid operator. But this “hardware-first” communication is ill-suited to winning over local communities and civic leaders. Instead, successful developers engage their future neighbors during the siting and permitting process to foster trust, transparency, and mutual understanding.

Here are six communications-based best practices to help win local community and political support, based on Trevi’s years-long experience in helping energy storage project developers successfully deploy systems. If your company is looking to build energy storage projects, here’s what you need to know.

• Start early. Get informed.

Research about potential host communities should begin before the final decision on a project’s location is made. Developers need to know what the community’s economic, demographic, and social conditions are like. You should find out if there are any immediate neighbors next to the potential project site and identify any previous history with energy project development, as well as influential local politicians, community leaders, and journalists.

Once these stakeholders are identified, the development team can gauge local attitudes towards a possible storage project via a listening tour. Collecting information before making an investment decision doesn’t just ensure developers recognize potential roadblocks. If this early engagement makes people feel genuinely heard and involved in the process, they are far more likely to support, and even advocate for, storage projects. These efforts early on save time and money by preventing or limiting resistance from host communities.

• Inform the host community. Build a website.

Once the decision on a location has been made, it’s time to inform the community. Developers must be proactive and tell the story of the project before filing permits. If not, others can take control of the narrative. First and foremost, this means setting up a website for the project.

The website should explain the basics. For many people, the week-long battery fire in Moss Landing in early 2025 is the first thing that comes to mind when they think of energy storage. A project website needs to explain how modern storage projects work, and how safety risks are mitigated.

According to a recent national survey, 71 percent of Americans would support a battery storage project in their community. Of the 29 percent who oppose, more than half have never encountered any information about grid-scale batteries. Using the website to educate this underinformed group can go a long way toward preventing the formation of a vocal minority opposing the project. Ideally, this information campaign includes a training session or site visit with the local fire department, covered by local media.

• What’s in it for them? Show how the host community can benefit.

Building on these basic facts, the focus of the project website and all community outreach should be clear, consistent messaging about the genuine benefits of the planned project for the host community. Community benefits often play a central role in alleviating concerns and fostering acceptance for energy storage projects.

Typical benefits to feature prominently include:

• Job creation. Projects typically create many temporary jobs during construction and a smaller number of permanent positions for maintenance.
• Reducing electricity bills. Energy storage can massively reduce the risk of price spikes, especially in less regulated markets like Texas. This benefit is especially pronounced for communities in the immediate proximity of storage facilities, if price spikes are a result of downed power lines.
• Local energy and economic resiliency. Storage projects can help avoid blackouts during extreme weather events, or when transmission infrastructure is damaged or under maintenance.
• Tax revenue and investment in infrastructure. BESS projects don’t just bring business into communities; they can also help improve and clean up previously unused or even contaminated infrastructure.
• BESS projects are good neighbors. They are about as loud as any other neighbor’s HVAC unit, don’t affect local air quality, and rarely block anyone’s view, since they don’t rise higher than a traditional one-story home. Their safety protocols are meticulously engineered, with operators often exceeding already tight safety regulations.

• Build a strategic case. Show how the community can lead.

In addition to the immediate benefits of a project, it is worth highlighting the ways in which it can help the community lead a national movement. People are more likely to support a project when they understand its role in lowering electricity prices, increasing reliability, and the wider transition to renewable energy. Communities are also generally receptive to arguments about why their local area is the right place to host it, such as proximity to transmission lines. When engaging with communities, explaining both the national and local context helps build trust and understanding.

• Be proactive. Talk to local media.

With information on both local and national benefits publicly available, it’s time to proactively reach out to future neighbors, local politicians, community leaders, and journalists. The messaging developed for the website can now be used to shape the story of the project and how it fits into and benefits the host community. Leveraging local media is especially effective when developers are able to provide spokespeople who are themselves local to the area, or have at least visited and developed a solid understanding of the existing conditions, attitudes, and energy project-related history. 

• Take responsibility. Allocate resources to community outreach.

Community opposition to energy storage projects can take many forms. People have valid questions about how the project might impact their homes, local environment and daily lives. Sometimes, preexisting local political dynamics impede an open exchange. But one thing is certain to sabotage a project’s success: If the host community concludes that a developer is not actually engaging them and doesn’t provide an accessible point of contact. Taking responsibility means making sure that your team has the expertise and resources to listen, explain, and persuade.

Effective community engagement is not a nice-to-have – it’s the key to minimizing costly local resistance. If you’re looking to strengthen your team’s community outreach and communication capabilities, please reach out to us! The Trevi team is happy to explore how we can help you advance the energy projects of tomorrow.