We’re excited to announce that Sean Garren DeKrey, our Chief Programs Officer will become Vote Solar’s next Executive Director at the end of 2026, succeeding Sachu Constantine. For 25 years, Vote Solar has advanced affordable local solar through changing political landscapes and significant challenges – and we’re entering this transition with strong momentum. Sean has been part of Vote Solar for more than a decade and brings deep institutional knowledge, strong partner relationships, and a track record of advancing solar policy across the country. We’re grateful to Sachu for his leadership and excited for what’s ahead. votesolar.org/vote-solar-ann…

Vote Solar's Kavi Chintam and Will Kentworthy shine a light on distributed solar's role as a critical resource during peak demand and how it can lower costs for customers. Read their full LTE here: chicago.suntimes.com/letters…

Energy policy can be wonky, and energy bills can be confusing. You asked, we answered! Read our “Ask An Energy Expert” Q&A to learn more about energy costs and how solar energy bolsters our power grid and benefits our pocketbooks: votesolar.org/energy-ama

Voting is now open for the 2026 Dr. Espanola Jackson Energy Justice Award! Please cast your vote by October 16 at 11:59 PM. Your voice matters in helping us honor a leader who is making a difference in the movement for energy and environmental justice. Watch the Fireside Chat with Finalists and cast your vote: votesolar.org/watch-vote-202…

Arizona! Join us Friday, October 2, for a free, nonpartisan forum with candidates running for the Arizona Corporation Commission. Learn where candidates stand on electricity bills and Arizona’s energy future. Food and Spanish interpretation provided. RSVP: action.votesolar.org/a/az26-…

Happy Fall Equinox! 🍁 🍂 TODAY ONLY: All gifts up to $5,000 are being generously matched by a leader in the clean energy industry. Every dollar you invest in Vote Solar helps us fight for energy consumers — lowering your energy bills, strengthening the energy grid, and transitioning to clean energy for a resilient future. Be sure to act now to support a more reliable and affordable energy future: action.votesolar.org/a/na26-…

Did you know the most important decisions about your electric bills, including cost, happen before you use any electricity? Through utility planning processes, sometimes called Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) or Distribution System Plans (DSPs), utilities determine how they expect energy demand to grow, what investments they believe are necessary to meet it, and ultimately what customers pay for decades to come. Customers don't simply pay for the electricity they use. They pay for the long-term investments utilities make on their behalf. As electricity demand grows to meet rising electricity demand from AI, data centers, electrification, and hotter summers, we cannot afford for the biggest decisions about our energy future to happen without appropriate accountability. Learn more about IRPs and how Vote Solar advocates for affordable, clean energy in this critical process >>

Ever wondered about how your power bill is calculated? Or maybe you’re just curious why the bills are so darn high and what can be done about it? Get the answers you deserve! Ask a Vote Solar expert your questions about solar energy, utilities, and your power bills: action.votesolar.org/a/nat26…

Meet our Top 3 finalists for the 2026 Dr. Espanola Jackson Energy Justice Award! 🌞 Adrienne Farrar Houël, Eric Walker, and Joel Iboa are longtime leaders advancing energy and environmental justice in their communities. Join us Friday, October 2 at 2 p.m. ET for a virtual fireside chat to hear directly from our finalists about their work, their communities, and their vision for an equitable clean energy future. Voting opens after the chat, so RSVP to meet the finalists and then cast your vote! RSVP: votesolar-org.zoom.us/webina…

📣 Big news out of Pennsylvania on data center accountability! 📣 Gov. Josh Shapiro has issued an executive order that holds data centers accountable for their energy use, eliminates fast-track approval for them, and establishes a commitment to powering them with an increasing percentage of clean energy. But we need legislation to bolster this important step. If you're a Pennsylvanian, thank the governor and urge the Senate to pass legislation: action.votesolar.org/a/pa26-… If you live outside the state, consider donating to Vote Solar's nationwide work to advocate for comprehensive data center accountability: votesolar.org/donate/

⚡ Big news: California lawmakers passed legislation this week to legalize plug-in (balcony) solar. For millions of renters and households that can't install rooftop solar, plug-in solar opens the door to clean energy and lower electricity bills. Read more: canarymedia.com/articles/bal…

Extra extra, read all about solar developments across the country! 🗞️ Take a look at some of Vote Solar's latest coverage and learn more about how Vote Solar is championing policies that lower energy costs, center communities, and build a more resilient clean energy future. 🌎️

Meet the 2026 Dr. Espanola Jackson Energy Justice Award finalists! ☀️ These 10 leaders are advancing energy justice in communities across the country—from building community-owned clean energy and creating economic opportunity to organizing for healthier neighborhoods and shaping more equitable energy policy. Their work reflects Dr. Jackson’s legacy: ensuring communities too often left out of energy decisions have the power to shape their own clean energy futures. Learn more: votesolar.org/the-2026-dr-es…

⚡️ Energy demand is rising, and communities across the country are feeling the pressure. In Illinois, community solar and other clean energy solutions can help meet that moment—while making the grid more affordable, reliable, and resilient. Vote Solar’s @JohnDelurey recently shared this perspective in the Chicago Tribune, highlighting how generating electricity closer to where it’s used can strengthen local economies and reduce strain on the grid. Many thanks to Reactivate for making projects worth bragging about and Pew for pulling together great resources on local solar and storage. Together, we’re pushing forward policies that ensure homeowners and renters alike can share in the benefits of a cleaner, more affordable energy system.

HUGE solar win out of Minnesota! ☀️ 🎉 The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) has accepted Xcel Energy’s Integrated Distribution Plan (IDP), which includes critical clean energy initiatives like flexible interconnection and planned net load. The Commission also ordered Xcel to file a separate virtual power plant (VPP) pilot program by March 1, 2027, which will explore how community-driven technologies like rooftop solar and home batteries can work together to support the electric grid. TLDR? Minnesota's largest utility included community power resources in its long-term planning – a move to improve system efficiency and affordability for all customers.

Recently, Vote Solar's Chief Programs Officer, Sean Garren, had the opportunity to share his thoughts on utility planning with The Wall Street Journal. "Before utilities ask families and small businesses to shoulder costs, they should be required to demonstrate they’ve fully evaluated and invested in faster, more affordable ways to get more energy out of the grid we already have." The truth is, our aging energy grid isn't fit to support the unprecedented demand from AI and data centers. That's why readily available solar solutions like community power networks are so important.

Our executive director @sachcon was featured on @KPFA Radio A Rude Awakening last week! Some highlights: 1) The grid must be built around flexibility. 2) Solar paired with batteries is increasingly replacing reliance on expensive gas “peaker” plants and reshaping how peak demand is met. 3) California’s DSGS program is a great example of how distributed energy resources can benefit the power system while lowering costs for every ratepayer. Listen here: kpfa.org/episode/sachu-const…

Just one week remains to nominate you or someone you know for the Dr. Espanola Jackson Energy Justice Award! ⏰️ This prestigious award honors the legacy of Dr. Espanola Jackson, recognizing the critical role Black, Indigenous, and leaders of color and other oppressed ethnic groups play in advancing the environmental justice movement. Awardees receive a $10,000 financial award and the option to be recognized publicly. Nominations CLOSE Friday, July 17. Make sure to get your nominations in before the deadline: votesolar.org/dr-espanola-ja…

As we’ve seen heat waves sweep the nation over the past couple of weeks, it’s clear our aging grid can’t keep us safe from extreme heat at a price we can afford. Luckily, there's already a smarter solar solution available – Community Power Networks. Visit your new destination for learning about Community Power Networks: votesolar.org/community-powe… The future of energy isn’t one big solution – it’s millions of local ones, working together.

As we recognize 250 years as a nation, it's time to assess our energy system and aging power grid. Smart solar solutions — like plug-in solar and battery storage — are available now to strengthen our grid and lower our bills. We have the resources to declare independence from fossil fuels. Now, we just need those in power to take action.