Communities are putting solar to work as a leading solution to build just and resilient 100% clean power for all.
Solar is the critical piece in transitioning to an equitable, clean energy future. It’s affordable, healthy, great for our economy, and a tool for justice. All across the country, people are calling for solar progress not only to combat the climate crisis, but also to lower their cost of living, create local jobs, reduce harmful pollution, and build a brighter, more resilient future for their children and grandchildren.
By giving people of all backgrounds opportunities to go solar themselves and gain the benefits of renewable energy for their own communities, we are delivering real wins for climate justice, and building political will for continued progress at all levels of government.
Meet people across the U.S. who are going solar, fighting for solar rights, and helping us reach 100% clean energy for all.
Debra & Earl went solar in their Illinois home thanks to Illinois Solar For All, a program of the Future Energy Jobs Act. Credit: Certasun
As we repower our electric grid with cleaner sources, we have the opportunity to create a more equitable grid. In order to build a 100% clean electricity future that works for all, we must recognize past and existing inequities, and address some of the most pressing issues impacting families nationwide: economic opportunity, public health, and systemic racism and inequality.
Renewable energy has the potential to build a better way forward, together. Frontline communities and communities of color are leading the way on a just transition, lifting up families who have been poisoned by fossil fuel pollution and reducing their energy burden, while spreading economic investment across neighborhoods and ensuring that everyone can own their own power.
Vote Solar works in close partnership with local communities to build and support programs that help frontline and disadvantaged communities go solar and build community power.
Solar helps build climate resilience and community health
Julianne and Jackie Thomas work on the new solar array at West Bloomfield High School, part of a Michigan Solar Celebration co-hosted by Vote Solar in 2019. Credit: Dan Durkin
Electricity generation from fossil fuels is one of the most significant sources of polluting emissions in the U.S. In order to make meaningful progress on climate, we must stop burning harmful fossil fuels like coal and gas and start taking full advantage of our abundant renewable resources, like sunshine.
Local solar energy also reduces our reliance on risky wires that can spark wildfires or be taken out during hurricanes. When disaster strikes, pairing solar with energy storage is a safe and reliable solution that can keep the lights on for more people in more places. That’s why we fight to expand solar paired with storage especially in areas already experiencing extreme weather.
Solar grows our economy and helps families save on their bills
Solar is now the most affordable electricity resource in global history, helping families to save on their electric bills and creating good-paying jobs in the growing new energy economy. As one of the fastest growing industries, solar employs hundreds of thousands of workers.
But many people have been left out of the clean energy transition. An equitable solar energy future can make clean, community-based energy affordable and accessible to all.
Vote Solar advocates for policies that provide targeted incentives for low-income families, providing job training for clean energy careers in underserved communities and offering innovative financing for direct and indirect clean energy investments. Local clean energy also reduces the need for expensive transmission and distribution infrastructure and maintenance, keeping operation costs low.
Solar means energy freedom and security
The Rose family went solar in Miami, Florida
Energy freedom means that you get to choose where your energy comes from, not your utility. Whether you have solar or your roof or subscribe to a nearby community solar array, you have control over your energy source. Solar reduces dependence on outside energy sources from other cities, states, and countries.
Vote Solar fights to expand energy choice and stands up against the big utilities who want to keep control over how families get their energy. We protect solar rights and solar savings, ensuring that rates are fair and that solar customers are fairly compensated for the valuable energy they send back to the grid.
Solar brings us together
Proud solar installers in Connecticut. Credit: Renovus Solar
Red and blue, urban and rural — everyone loves solar. Fully 9 out of 10 Americans support solar energy, with majority support across the political spectrum. Nearly one in four Americans live in a state with a legal mandate to reach 100% clean electricity.
Did you know that most energy policy is made at the state level? States are leading the way in the renewable energy transition. At Vote Solar, we advocate for the state programs and policies needed to repower our grid with sunshine. Through solar, we’re cracking open that old centralized fossil fuel paradigm and driving the kind of system-wide change needed to reach 100% clean power that works for all.
There’s no one reason for our commitment to just clean energy powered by solar — there is every reason.
