Alabama moved closer this week to becoming the latest state to pump the brakes on solar development, as a House committee advanced bills that would impose a one-year moratorium on new solar farm construction and give county commissions regulatory authority over projects — a direct response to mounting community opposition in Baldwin and Mobile counties. The legislative push came as Michigan residents packed public hearings to protest a nearly 2,000-acre solar project on prime farmland, and communities from Kansas to Kentucky grappled with wind energy proposals that have divided rural towns.

This week's opposition landscape stretched across at least eight states, touching solar, wind, and battery storage projects alike. A common thread connected many of the fights: residents who say state-level policies are overriding local decision-making, and communities demanding more say over industrial-scale energy projects proposed for their backyards.

Solar Siting Battles

The fiercest solar opposition this week centered on two states — Alabama and Michigan — where residents, lawmakers, and local officials are pushing back on large-scale projects with increasing coordination.

In Alabama, an Alabama House committee approved two bills targeting solar development in Mobile and Baldwin counties. One measure would allow county commissions to regulate solar farms; the other would halt new solar farm construction statewide for one year. The legislation follows weeks of organized community opposition in Baldwin County, where Stockton residents held a community prayer service and protest against a proposed solar project. A separate bill introduced by an Alabama senator would impose a one-year moratorium on new solar farm construction at the state level, reflecting how local opposition has escalated into a full-blown legislative campaign.

In western Michigan, the proposed Silver Maple Solar project — a 200-megawatt, approximately 1,900-acre development by global energy company RWE — drew hundreds of residents to a series of contentious public hearings. At a community meeting in Zeeland Township, nearly 200 people attended, with almost every hand in the room rising when asked who opposed the project. RWE development manager Joseph Brochu presented the company's case, citing approximately $30 million in economic revenue and around 250 jobs, but residents were unmoved.

At a subsequent hearing on March 17, part of the pre-application process for the Michigan Public Service Commission under PA 233, farmers and residents delivered tense statements against the project, which would be sited on agricultural-zoned land south of I-196 near Ottawa Executive Airport. "There's been communities in this world for hundreds of years that have gotten by without electricity, but never one that got by without food," resident Loran Moyer said during public comment. Concerns focused on the loss of productive farmland and the practicality of solar energy in one of Michigan's cloudiest regions. Two additional hearings were scheduled for March 18 and 19 at the Zeeland Township Offices.

The Silver Maple fight is part of a broader Michigan backlash against PA 233, the state law that grants the Michigan Public Service Commission authority to approve utility-scale renewable energy projects, potentially bypassing local zoning decisions. On March 18, residents gathered at Hillsdale College to hear attorneys, local advocates, and a state lawmaker discuss whether PA 233 effectively strips local governments of control over solar, wind, and battery storage siting. "If you're not from Fayette Township, don't think you won't be affected by solar," warned a Hillsdale College attorney at the event, signaling that opposition groups are organizing across township lines.

Meanwhile, in Indiana, Tippecanoe County's moratorium on commercial solar farms is nearing its expiration, and residents are raising concerns about public safety and farmland protection as local officials work to finalize new ordinance rules by June. The county's deliberations mirror the regulatory scramble playing out in other agricultural communities trying to establish ground rules before developers arrive.

Wind Energy Pushback

Wind energy opponents were active across the central United States this week, with moratorium efforts and legislative battles advancing in multiple states.

In western Kentucky, McLean County announced plans to form a moratorium to study windmill construction, following the McLean County Fiscal Court's vote to send a moratorium ordinance to the county's Planning and Zoning Commission. McLean County Judge Executive Curtis Dame said the moratorium would give the county time for a "data-driven, numbers-based approach," while acknowledging the community is divided. "I'm not personally in favor of the windmills, but that doesn't mean that someone else might not be," Dame said. The move came on the heels of a wind energy public hearing in neighboring Henderson County, where residents raised concerns about a lack of transparency regarding a project proposed by Cordelio Power.

In Oklahoma, the long-running wind farm setback dispute re-emerged at the state capitol, with Rep. Jim Shaw, a Republican from Chandler, urging supporters to contact legislators to push for a vote on SB2, the only active wind turbine setback bill. The measure is currently stalled in the Senate. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton previously accused opponents of renewable energy of letting "politics, misinformation and petty personal agendas" co-opt the debate, while Shaw countered that the issue is about protecting property rights, not personal vendettas.

In southwest Kansas, residents voiced concerns about wind farms during a Seward County Commission meeting, adding to the growing chorus of rural communities scrutinizing wind development in the Great Plains.

Battery Storage Concerns

Battery energy storage systems, an increasingly common component of the clean energy buildout, generated their own opposition this week in multiple New York communities and in Massachusetts.

In the Adirondack region, the town of Northampton announced a public hearing on a proposed moratorium on battery storage facilities, joining a growing list of New York municipalities seeking to pause and study the technology before permitting projects. Not far away, in St. Armand, a well-attended public meeting in Saranac Lake featured in-depth debate over safety concerns related to a proposed battery energy storage facility. Residents pressed for answers about fire risks and emergency response protocols — issues that have become central to battery storage opposition nationwide.

In Massachusetts, the state Land Court upheld the attorney general's rejection of Wendell's battery energy storage bylaw, which the town had enacted to restrict BESS licensing. The ruling represents a setback for communities attempting to use local bylaws to block or limit battery storage projects, and could have implications for similar regulatory efforts in other Massachusetts towns.

What to Watch

• Zeeland Township, Michigan: Two additional public hearings on the Silver Maple Solar project were scheduled for March 18 and 19 at the Zeeland Township Offices as part of the Michigan Public Service Commission's pre-application review process. Community turnout and public comment could shape the trajectory of the 200-MW project. (Holland Sentinel)
• Alabama legislature: The House bills targeting solar farms in Mobile and Baldwin counties — including the one-year construction moratorium — now advance to the full chamber for potential floor votes, a development that could set a precedent for state-level solar restrictions in the Southeast. (Alabama Reflector)
• Northampton, New York: The town's public hearing on a proposed moratorium on battery energy storage facilities will test whether Adirondack-area communities follow the growing trend of pausing battery projects while developing new regulations. (Adirondack Explorer)

Trends and Patterns

This week's opposition stories reveal several recurring dynamics in the national debate over energy project siting. The moratorium has emerged as the tool of choice for communities seeking to slow development — with active or proposed moratoria in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, and New York spanning solar, wind, and battery storage technologies. The tension between state-level permitting authority and local control was a dominant theme, particularly in Michigan, where PA 233 has galvanized opposition groups to organize across township and county boundaries. Farmland protection continued to be the single most potent argument against solar development in agricultural communities, from Michigan's Ottawa County to Indiana's Tippecanoe County. And in the battery storage space, fire safety concerns and the Massachusetts court ruling suggest that communities and developers alike are still navigating an evolving and uncertain regulatory landscape for a technology that is relatively new to most neighborhoods.