Vote Solar Partners With Beyond Carbon to Go Bigger Than Ever on Climate & Clean Energy

It’s already November: a time for cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice and giving thanks. And we want to take this moment to let you know how thankful we are that you’re in this fight with us.

We truly could not do this work without you. 2019 has been a historic year for solar progress at the state level, and we’re busy gearing up for our most ambitious year yet in the charge toward a clean energy economy that works for everyone. Read on for more updates from the frontlines of renewable energy progress …

Vote Solar Partners with Beyond Carbon

First, some big news about Vote Solar’s future: we’re excited to announce that we are partnering with Michael Bloomberg’s Beyond Carbon initiative, the largest coordinated campaign to tackle the climate crisis ever undertaken in the United States. The scale of the challenge before us is massive, and we’re proud to be working with Beyond Carbon to grow so that we can take on more states and more fights to speed our nation’s transition to clean energy.

Last month, the Beyond Carbon team kicked off a new series about their many incredible partner organizations with a profile of Vote Solar. Check it out for your weekly dose of clean energy inspiration.

California Outages Shine Light on Solar Resilience

Last month millions of Californians lost power for days as major utilities cut electricity to prevent their disaster-prone grid from causing fires. It was deeply unsettling for many and our thoughts are with everyone impacted. These times of crisis are a good reminder of the power of solar: community-scale microgrids and rooftop solar systems paired with battery storage gave families and businesses a way to keep the lights on when the grid went down.

At Vote Solar, we’re committed to making resilient solar power affordable and accessible to everyone – whether you’re facing fires in the West, storms in Midwest or hurricanes in the Southeast. Check out our call for California’s leaders to make local clean power a priority in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Californians: If you were one of the millions of impacted by the wildfire and power shutoffs, we want to be sure you know the State of California has made news and resources available here.

Expanding Solar Access in Florida

We celebrated a win with Florida’s biggest utility — FPL — coming to the negotiating table with our regulatory experts to establish the nation’s largest solar program dedicated to serving low-income households, enough to lower energy bills for 10,000 working families. It was a big victory for solar access in the Sunshine State — and we’re not going to stop until every family across Florida and the nation has the opportunity to go solar if they so choose.

Illinois: Clean Energy at the Capitol

At the crack of dawn one chilly day in October, our Illinois team joined more than 500 people in making our way to the capitol in Springfield to show lawmakers our support for 100% clean energy and the Clean Energy Jobs Act. This day of action follows on years of movement-building, months of advocacy, and more than 100 community-based conversations that are all moving the state toward a bold new commitment to a clean energy economy that benefits rural communities, low-income urban neighborhoods, and everyone in between.

Urging Minnesota to Pass on Polluting Gas

Far too often, utilities make plans to needlessly spend billions of dollars on fossil-fueled power plants without public input or real consideration of the clean energy options that could do the job with less pollution and less cost. Minnesota is one of a number of states where we’re working with partners to change that. We joined youth and environmental leaders in Minneapolis to urge utility giant Xcel Energy and its regulators at the Minnesota PUC to choose clean rather than locking local communities into another generation of polluting gas.

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in New Mexico

In order to accomplish something as huge as combatting climate change and building a 100 percent clean electricity future, we need a movement that values and encourages participation from everyone: people of every race, gender and life experience.

To our Interior West Manager Mayane, a Tribal member of Kewa Pueblo, this work is personal: “I came to Vote Solar because of a long-lived dream to see the day when the homes on my Tribal reservation are solar-powered alongside the other Tribal nations across the United States. Now I’m working to not only expand solar access for Native communities, but for all communities across New Mexico.”

Her participation in an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration on traditional Pueblo territory in Albuquerque last month gave us all an opportunity to recognize Indigenous peoples’ long history of environmental protection and the power of a solar future that benefits all.

Partying for a Purpose at Equinox DC

Thanks to all the party people who joined us at Equinox DC! We had a great time catching up with old solar friends and meeting new ones — and it looks like you all did too. Tickets and sponsorships directly advance our work advocating for solar policy in states nationwide — and we couldn’t be more grateful for all the support! Check out photos of the fun here.

And don’t miss these upcoming events:

Chicago, Illinois | Solar and Energy Storage Midwest – Nov. 14-15 | Solar and Energy Storage Midwest is coming back to the Windy City with more leading education from thought leaders in the renewable energy industry! Experience a comprehensive education and exhibition program this year to Chicago, IL that includes solar, wind, energy storage, DERs, EVs, and more. Register here.

Baltimore, Maryland |Solar Focus – Nov. 20-21 | Join us in Baltimore to learn more about solar trends and insights from the Mid-Atlantic. Register here » and use discount code VS15 for 15% off registration.

Denver, Colorado | Energy Storage Summit – Dec. 3-4 | Network and learn in Denver with a deep dive into the budding energy storage market, featuring data-intensive presentations and analyst-led panel sessions with industry leaders. Register here.

Albany, New York | Solar and Energy Storage Dec. 12-13 | Join us in NY and discover best practices and the latest trends and challenges impacting the state in energy development. Register here.

San Francisco, California | Solar, Storage, and Smart Energy Expo – Jan. 16-17 | Join us this January at this expo that will guide you through the policy and market changes, and set your company up to grow your business. Hear from utility, private sector, and non-profit leaders from throughout the region, and network with other solar & storage professionals. Register here.