America’s renewable energy expansion is facing resistance not only in Washington but also at county commission meetings across the country. A new USA TODAY survey finds an increasing number of local governments are restricting or completely blocking large-scale wind and solar projects.
These restrictions come in the form of prohibitions, allowing requirements that make the project economically unviable and moratoriums that may or may not ultimately expire. All the while, changing economic conditions and improving technology have made wind and solar much cheaper than natural gas and much cheaper than coal.
An exclusive USA TODAY investigation identified at least 755 counties with regulatory mechanisms that make it difficult or impossible to develop large-scale wind and solar projects. The study is based on data collected by USA TODAY reporters in 3,142 counties across all 50 states through public announcements, county board meetings, news reports, emails and phone calls to government offices. Read our methodology here.
Here are key takeaways from USA TODAY’s survey
About a quarter of U.S. counties have restrictive ordinances against the construction of solar and wind farms. This type of blocking of wind and sunlight has been rapidly expanding in recent years. Most of the ordinances target wind energy projects. However, solar energy development is now facing increasing resistance as many counties in the United States have adopted measures that limit or discourage new installations.
Overall, at least 645 counties have prohibitions, impediments, or moratoriums on wind energy development, and 261 counties have these ordinances on solar energy development. Some people have both. Most of these ordinances are enacted in counties that do not have solar or wind projects within their jurisdictions.
Trump administration’s federal land restrictions loom large
Due to restrictions, approximately 38% of the country’s land is no longer viable or economically viable for wind power development. When it comes to solar power, developers will no longer be able to develop on 33% of the country’s area. USA TODAY calculated that number by taking into account the impact of local ordinances and the Trump administration’s federal land restrictions.
Take Nevada, for example. USA TODAY identified four of the 17 counties where local restrictions on solar and wind would make development difficult. There would still be plenty of flat land for developers to build solar projects. But because the federal government owns so many acres in Nevada, that restriction would leave less than 15% of the state open for renewable energy development, according to USA TODAY calculations.
Anti-solar sentiment grows
More counties have bans on wind energy than have adopted utility-scale projects. A total of 645 counties have windbreaks in place, while a USA TODAY analysis of generator inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows about 470 counties have wind farms with more than 5 megawatts of capacity, a measure of business size used in these analyses. Partly due to opposition, wind power development grew from the 2000s to 2012, but has leveled off since then. By 2020, fewer generators were in operation each year, and inventories began to decline, according to federal inventory statistics.
The anti-wind sentiment that has dominated local debate appears to be spreading to solar energy as well. Solar power projects, which once faced only mild opposition, are now increasingly caught up in the same policy battles that have long stalled wind power development across the country. But while solar ordinances are rapidly gaining popularity, new counties are still allowing solar construction. As of December 2025, more than 1 in 4 U.S. counties have solar power plants operating at least 5 MW.
Solar and wind power continue to expand
President Donald Trump is one of the most vocal critics of renewable energy. But since he first won the White House in 2016, solar and wind power has recorded significant growth, rising from about 6.5% of the country’s electricity generation to 18% by 2025, despite his attacks on the industry and deregulation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that share will reach 21% by 2027.
Growth is widespread. Between 2016 and 2025, the share of wind and solar grew faster than all other energy sources in at least 23 states.
Gas still makes up the majority of the national mix, but its share is declining as wind and solar expand. Utility-scale solar power is now the fastest growing source of electricity in the United States, indicating that the ongoing transition may be difficult to reverse.
Solar power and wind energy are now cheaper to build
Experts say market dynamics for renewable energy have changed dramatically over the past decade. In a 2025 report, financial advisory firm Lazard estimates that the cost of building, operating, fueling and maintaining power plants has fallen by 55% for wind and 84% for solar since 2009. A USA TODAY report shows that bringing in solar and wind development could cause political tensions and strain community ties. Still, such construction has boosted local economies, especially rural ones.
Industry experts say wind and solar also make economic sense on the supply side. Considering the increase in energy usage, solar and wind power can help meet that demand. Both can be built faster than gas plants, which face years of delays due to backlogs of turbines.
How many people live near solar or wind farms?
There is a lot of misinformation being spread about renewable energy, especially wind energy. Common complaints include that turbines are ugly, destroy the countryside, damage property values, endanger birds, and make noise.
USA TODAY covered each of these in this article.
Despite these complaints, most people do not live near turbines and therefore cannot experience such complaints.
A USA TODAY analysis assessed the population’s proximity to these wind and solar projects and concluded that approximately 0.7% of the U.S. population lives within eight miles of a wind project with 10 or more turbines. Since the solar project is not visible from a distance, we used different radii for solar radiation. This indicates that approximately 0.6% of the population lives within a 1-mile radius of a solar project with a capacity of 5 megawatts or more.
USA TODAY’s Ignacio Calderon contributed data analysis.
Ramon Padilla Karina Seitz Stephen J. Beard, Carlie Procell, Veronica Bravo, Josh Susong, Suhail Bhat, Javier Zarracina, and Shawn J. Sullivan contributed graphics and data visualization.
Click here for a state-by-state analysis of wind and solar regulations across the United States.
