Every year we celebrate and encourage exceptional solar and renewable leadership by giving Solar Champion Awards.  Our 2012 winners are…drumroll, please…:

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On the occasion of our 10th Anniversary, California State Senator Mark Leno sent us a commendation.

Thanks, Senator.  Very kind of you.  And may we say: right back at you.  Back when the Senator was a SF City Supervisor, he lead the charge to get Prop B, the original solar bond initiative, on the ballot, and then campaigned tirelessly to get it across the finishline.  Without Senator Leno, there would have been no Prop B, without Prop B, there would have been no Vote Solar.  It’s been 10 years of a lot of fun and a lot of progress, and it wouldn’t have happened without that initial spark.  So, thanks again for all your leadership over the years.

Contributed by Vote Solar’s Technical Advisor Eric Gimon

I am bouncing along in the back seat of a little white van being driven on a dusty, pothole ridden, dirt road on the way to the small municipality of Boucan Carré in the Haitian central plateau. We are on our way to a hook-up with Bill Clinton, a small delegation and a larger number of UN troops there to examine a new solar powered fish hatchery.  This is a project of the Clinton Global Initiative and the trip is co-hosted by David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy. Together, we are touring sites in Haiti’s Central Plateau to view the progress of solar power installations funded by the $1 million commitment made through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) by NRG and their implementing partner, the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) to demonstrate how solar power can be a significant enabler of social good and economic empowerment in Haiti.  I have heard about SELF’s work for a long time now, and I am curious to see the solar panels at work. » Read the rest of this entry «

The internets sure do move in mysterious ways.

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In two short weeks we’ll be celebrating Vote Solar’s 10th anniversary at the Fillmore. Come! Join the fun!

EQUINOX 2012

April 17, 2012 – 6:30-11 PM

The Fillmore, San Francisco

We’ve got something for everyone – fancy people like FERC Commissioner Wellinghoff & Michigan Governor Granholm for the policy geeks out there, commemorative Fillmore posters for those needing new wall art, the return of the infamous Equinox photobooth for those with no shame, plus new fun & games galore for you and 900 other solar supporters. » Read the rest of this entry «

What’s in store for 2012?

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It’s our birthday.  Vote Solar is turning 10. That’s right–ten years of hard work, big wins, small victories, heartbreaks, come-backs, and interminable regulatory proceedings, all in the name of U.S. solar power policy progress. And we’re celebrating that decade of solar advocacy with our biggest Equinox party yet.

Equinox – Vote Solar’s Annual Celebration & Fundraiser
Where: The Fillmore, San Francisco’s historic music venue
When: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 – 6:30-11 PM » Read the rest of this entry «

Americans love solar power. Just how much? According to a new independent poll, 9 out of 10 Americans think it’s important for the United States to develop and use solar energy, and that support remains strong across the entire political spectrum.

On November 20^th, we’re joining with our friends at Solar Mosaic and others to put that public support on display for the nation to see with a Community Solar Action Day. Want to help us kick-start solar awareness in your community? Great! Here’s what it’ll take: » Read the rest of this entry «

Never a slow moment in U.S. solar policy news these days. Just this morning we released Freeing the Grid 2011, our fifth annual report card on state net metering and interconnection policies. Together these two policies empower Americans to generate their own electricity from solar and other renewables. And the good news is states of all shapes, colors and political persuasions continue to embrace these fundamentals of a strong distributed renewable market. We’re also particularly pleased to note that the report methodology was used by the U.S. DOE in scoring Sunshot, their exciting initiative to lower the cost of going solar in the U.S. by 75% by 2020 – further recognition of the important role that these wonky-but-critical state policies play in making solar cost effective for energy consumers. » Read the rest of this entry «

Over the past year and to the chagrin of many, Maryland has struggled to ensure that its net metering program remains an effective policy mechanism for the future of solar deployment.  Of particular concern was legislation passed in 2010 that would have significantly weakened the state’s net metering policy by eliminating the ability for a customer to rollover excess generation from month to month at the full retail rate. Fortunately, the state’s renewable energy champions and stakeholders made this issue a priority during this year’s 428th legislative session.  Result: Maryland’s net metering program will keep on rolling. » Read the rest of this entry «