It is estimated that over 2.5 million homes are equipped with solar panels in the U.S. And the popularity of capturing the natural power of the sun to heat and cool our homes is on the rise - according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) solar panel installations have increased by 43% in just the past couple of years. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio is Sachu Constantine, the Executive Director of Vote Solar, a policy advocacy organization committed to expanding access to affordable solar energy. Constantine provides an update on net metering legislation in California, gives us a glimpse into what's happening in the community solar space, and looks at hurdles to solar that the Trump Administration mounted.
00:01 Narrator - This is Sea Change Radio, covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise.
00:15 Sachu Constantine (SC) - We will always run up against the issue that when you buy a solar panel. And you buy all the equipment that goes with that solar panel including, including a battery you are buying 25 years of energy, that in and of itself is a difficult proposition.
00:32 Narrator - It is estimated that over 2.5 million homes are equipped with solar panels in the U.S. And the popularity of capturing the natural power of the sun to heat and cool our homes is on the rise - according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) solar panel installations have increased by 43% in just the past couple of years. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio is Sachu Constantine, the Executive Director of Vote Solar, a policy advocacy organization committed to expanding access to affordable solar energy. Constantine provides an update on net metering legislation in California, gives us a glimpse into what's happening in the community solar space, and looks at hurdles to solar that the Trump Administration mounted.
01:26 Alex Wise (AW) - I'm joined now on Sea Change Radio by Sachu Constantine. He is the executive director of vote Solar, Sachu Constantine. Sachu, welcome to Sea Change Radio.
01:42 Sachu Constantine (SC) - Thanks, Alex.
01:43 SC - Great to be with you.
01:44 AW - So we've had your predecessor on Adam Browning several times talking about the work that Vote Solar does. But now that you've taken over as Executive Director, why don't you remind our listeners the mission of your organization?
01:58 SC - Thanks for the opportunity to come on. Adam has been a mentor and a real leader in our space and I'm, I'm really honored to be sitting in this seat at Vote Solar. Vote Solar is a 20 year old nonprofit advocacy organization.
02:10 SC - We have worked at the state level to make solar a mainstream energy choice to really improve. The value proposition for customers, for communities, for the country around solar, and quite frankly, we've been incredibly successful at that under Adam's leadership and now under my transition leadership, we are making solar unaffordable. Ubiquitous choice that customers and utilities and communities can all make, and that has been our goal. All along, climate change has been a north star. We are expanding our mission to talk about energy choices, energy burden and energy justice, and I think it's really important to our final vision, which is a strong, robust, resilient energy economy powered by renewables like solar and wind that is available and useful and helpful to everyone in the country.
03:04 AW - And on a day-to-day basis, what pies are you getting your fingers dipped into in in terms of policymaking?
03:10 SC - Yeah, that's a great question. Vote Solar's bread and butter has always been working at the state level, working at Public Utilities Commissions (PUCs). Those commissions which decide how utilities get to run, get to earn profit,
