You’re pro-solar. Maybe you have an array on the roof of your home, and you’ve been seeing the benefits of this great source of renewable energy.
And even if you haven’t gone solar yet, you’re convinced it’s a significant part of America’s, and the world’s, clean-energy future. Now you want to share your convictions in ways that can persuade skeptics, promote policy, and make a contribution to the spread of solar power.
Get Informed. If you’re currently using solar, you’ve learned a lot already: the rebates available under the Solar Investment Tax Credit; how easy it is to keep your panels clean and functional; the advantages of net metering (getting credit for the power you produce), and more. But as an advocate, you’ll want to learn about the pluses of solar for your community, nation, and planet; how solar is doing politically (what your state legislature has done or failed to do in promoting solar and other renewables, and where your representatives stand); how the coal and fossil-fuel lobbies and other energy interests are working to reverse the progress many states have made; and where solar is headed in the policy arena. A pro-solar organization’s online resources can get you started.
Join an organization. This is the best way to really power-up your advocacy. Not only are pro-solar organizations good sources of information about how solar energy works and the issues involved in defending and promoting it, they often offer ways to contact policymakers. Groups like Vote Solar, Solar Rights Alliance, Interfaith Power and Light, and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions—all of which we profile in our eBook “Solar Energy Advocates”—can be effective forums for your advocacy.
Contact policymakers. Making your convictions known to a mayor, governor, legislator or member of Congress is essential for effective advocacy. Armed with what you know and believe, you can Email, write, or phone policymakers. Also, many pro-solar organizations have programs that can make it easy to connect: the nonprofit Vote Solar’s I Love My Solar! postcard program, for example, turns users’ pro-solar opinions and photos into postcards, which they send to legislators.
Take a stand on social media. Share your experience and convictions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., and pass on solar-oriented news and opinion items from your organization and other groups.
Support solar-powered businesses. Does a local food co-op, auto-repair shop, garden store, or restaurant get all or some of its power from solar arrays? Patronize these forward-looking businesses, and tell management that you appreciate their decision.
Connect with others face-to-face. If you’re happy with your solar-energy experience, you’ll naturally want to share it with neighbors and friends on informal occasions. But you can go further, hosting gatherings with a pro-solar theme. Check out Solar Sonoma County’s guide to organizing and running a “Solar House Party.”
However you choose to advocate for the sun and its clean power, you’ll be joining a worldwide network of activists who share your convictions and can both inform and support you. So why not get started today?
Consider solar power
If you’d like to know more about solar power for your home, contact your local solar installer for a free quote and to learn more about which type of solar installation is right for you.
Download our eBook, Solar Energy Advocates, to learn more about those speaking up for your energy rights and find out how you can join in on the fight!
