Program Overview

Resolving Renewable Energy Siting Disputes

Resolving Renewable Energy Siting Disputes is an online course designed to expose a range of learners interested in enabling the energy transition to consensus building approaches. Learners who will most benefit from this course include college students who want to pursue careers in the renewable energy space and mid-career professionals such as public officials and renewable energy developers.

About the Course

The course aims to prepare community members, renewable energy developers, municipal staff, and a new generation of renewable energy practitioners to understand and build consensus around resolving opposition to renewable energy facilities across the United States.

Much to the surprise of policymakers in the United States who recently allocated vast amounts of money to support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy as part of the U.S.’s climate strategy, there is substantial opposition to such facilities across the country. While the media has framed this opposition in terms of a few selfish individuals trying to stop change from happening in their communities, research shows that many stakeholders have good reasons to oppose specific renewable energy facilities given the way they have been designed and located.

The renewable energy permitting process in most states does not provide adequate opportunities for facility opponents to raise their concerns or to work with proponents to resolve their legitimate differences. Unless local opposition is handled more effectively than at present, the U.S.’s efforts to decarbonize its energy system will be severely delayed or even blocked entirely.

Course Format and Duration

• The course is self-paced.
• Estimated duration: 4 weeks.
• Time commitment: 3-5 hours per week.

What You'll Learn

• Questions you need to ask to prepare a stakeholder assessment.
• The importance of community engagement and collaboration for the successful implementation of renewable energy projects.
• Various sources of opposition to renewable energy projects and the underlying contributing factors.
• Skills in transparent communication, active listening, and fostering trust through consensus building.
• Strategies and techniques to mitigate adverse impacts, utilize contingent agreements, and address uncertainties in renewable energy development.

Topics Covered

• Pros and cons of different renewable energy technologies
• Equity and environmental justice in the energy transition
• Regulated and deregulated energy markets
• Siting processes on public land
• The dynamics of local opposition
• Distribution of opposition sources
• Sharing solutions with stakeholders
• Developing trust
• Stakeholder assessment and representation

Prerequisites

None. This course can accommodate a range of learners, including those with limited knowledge or experience in the field.

Instructors

• Lawrence Susskind: Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT.
• Jungwoo Chun: Lecturer, Department of Urban Studies & Planning at MIT.

Who Can Take This Course?

Because of U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) restrictions and other U.S. federal regulations, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, and the Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic, and Luhansk People's Republic regions of Ukraine.

Course Details

• Start Date: Anytime
• End Date: June 10, 2026
• Price: Free to Learn. Certificate Track: $139.00
• Payment Deadline: May 31, 2026

Instructor Profiles

Lawrence Susskind

Lawrence Susskind is Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT, where he has been a member of the teaching and research faculty for almost fifty years. He is head of MIT’s Science Impact Collaborative and teaches a variety of negotiation courses for undergraduates, graduate students, mid-career executives, and senior managers. Larry is co-founder and Vice-Chair of the inter-university Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and founder and chief knowledge officer of the Consensus Building Institute. Through these two organizations, Larry has provided face-to-face training in negotiation, conflict management, and collaboration to more than 30,000 individuals in 30 countries.

Jungwoo Chun

Jungwoo Chun, a graduate of the doctoral program at the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Policy and Planning. He has previously directed the MIT Cybersecurity Clinic and led the client recruitment process and oversaw student team engagement with the client communities seeking to combat the growing cybersecurity threats they face. Jungwoo Chun currently teaches the MIT Cybersecurity Clinic and the MIT Renewable Energy Siting Clinic. He continues to brainstorm ways to improve pedagogical strategies and techniques, including ways of incorporating online learning tools and combining them with in-person instruction. For a number of years, he has been a content developer and graduate instructor for online courses offered by MIT xPRO and edX/MITx, which have attracted more than 10,000 learners worldwide.