India, April 16 -- Among residents living within 3 miles of large-scale solar energy developments, positive attitudes about the projects outnumbered negative attitudes by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, according to a new survey of nearly 1,000 large-scale solar neighbors across the United States.

The nationally representative survey, led by Berkeley Lab and including University of Michigan researchers, sheds light on community perceptions of large-scale solar projects. For the study, a large-scale solar project was defined as a ground-mounted photovoltaic system that generates 1 megawatt or more of direct current.

"We're encouraged by the generally positive responses from residents living near large-scale solar projects, but the survey also re...