Location: New Jersey

From our July 2025 study with The Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT), we found that residents in the US Northeast have little familiarity with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), but are intrigued by the technology when it is framed around improved electricity reliability and lower utility bills. However, those perceptions are endangered by concerns that BESS may endanger their homes or entail high upfront installation costs.

What lies beneath concerns about offshore wind projects and whale endangerment? How can organizing programs build empathy and persuade? And could it be that civic engagement is the answer to ALL of our ills? Recently we published a report that attempts to address some of these questions.

In a poll of several coastal states, voters are increasingly backing offshore wind as energy demand spikes from AI and data centers. When asked why they support offshore wind, voters cite price stabilization (35%), pollution reduction (35%), and energy independence (31%) as key benefits. The findings coincide with growing awareness that sharply rising electricity demand makes it more important than ever to foster viable new sources of electricity

In our final IRA Data & Insights Hub report of the year, we share how partners in our Field Research Program are building evidence-based messaging to persuade communities on the benefits of clean energy and climate justice solutions. Read below for highlights on what we’re learning at the doors and online from communities in New York, Maine, and New Jersey.