Mounting evidence of the harmful effects of conventional energy resources on human and ecological systems has led to an increased development of renewable energy technologies. Indeed, resources such as wind, solar, and biomass are increasingly lauded as enhancing “energy system flexibility”1 given their untapped potential as “routinely available, indigenous” supplies of energy.2
However, renewable energy technology (RET) and services face many barriers to effective implementation. Renewable energy actors must compete with conventional energy powers over land, water, and other natural resources.3 The NIMBY (not in my back yard)4 effect and a lack of consumer knowledge regarding the tangible benefits of renewable energy resources also may hinder RET backing and progress.5 Several studies point toward environmental implications of RET that are frequently downplayed given its eco-friendly gloss, including sizeable land footprints from infrastructural expanses (e.g., solar and wind), air pollution (e.g., biomass and waste burning), water...