On Friday morning, Susan Millar, a Madison, Wisconsin resident, prepared her home for a unique open house. Her aim wasn’t to sell her property, but to showcase its eco-friendly features: a heat pump, solar panels, battery storage, and an electric induction stove, all to a dozen curious visitors.
This gathering served as a preview for “Sun Day,” a massive nationwide event featuring over 450 demonstrations of solar power and other renewable energy solutions. Scheduled predominantly for the Sunday before the Autumn equinox, these events range from electric vehicle parades and church sermons to home tours like Ms. Millar’s, all aiming to inspire broader adoption of clean energy.
“You can live in a 90-year-old home like this without burning anything at all,” Millar stated, highlighting her successful transition away from fossil fuels.
The concept for “Sun Day” originated a few years ago with climate activist and New Yorker writer, Bill McKibben. He recognized the opportune moment as renewable energy costs plummeted. Indeed, solar power is now the world’s most affordable energy source, with its cost dropping by almost 90% over the past 15 years, according to Our World in Data.
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McKibben humorously described solar power as no longer the “Whole Foods of energy—nice but pricey,” but rather the “Costco of power—cheap, readily available in bulk, and on the shelf ready to go.”
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The timing of “Sun Day” is significant, given the current political climate. The Trump administration and a Republican-led Congress have actively sought to dismantle tax credits for electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar. They have also cut funding for initiatives like “Solar for All,” which aimed to expand solar access to lower-income families. Furthermore, recent weeks have seen efforts to impede the offshore wind industry, even canceling projects mid-construction.
Concurrently, the administration has been pushing for increased development and use of fossil fuels—oil, gas, and coal—despite their well-documented contribution to global warming.
This isn’t America’s first “Sun Day.” In 1978, President Jimmy Carter, known for installing 32 solar panels on the White House (later removed by President Ronald Reagan), declared May 3rd as a national day to celebrate solar power.
In states with Republican leadership, “Sun Day” organizers aim to showcase strong grassroots support for clean energy initiatives.
Lisa Young, director of the Idaho Sierra Club chapter, noted that community solar projects, which enable shared solar installations for multiple homes, have faced significant opposition from local utilities and lack state legislative support. Idaho also missed out on $56 million in federal “Solar for All” grants after their cancellation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Young’s chapter has spearheaded about six “Sun Day” events throughout Idaho, including bilingual workshops, an electric vehicle expo, and a bicycle rally. A notable initiative involves a crowdfunding campaign to install community solar panels on a Boise hair salon.
Shari Baber, the salon owner, shared that the high initial cost of solar previously made it seem out of reach for some Black communities in Boise. However, with falling prices and the prospect of significant savings on electricity bills, she hopes her business can become a community model for solar adoption.
In the Washington, D.C. area, Natalie Pien will host one of over 80 scheduled home tours. Having installed solar panels on her Virginia home 15 years ago, Pien has seen her monthly energy costs plummet from over $150 to around $35. Thanks to her utility’s net metering program, which credits her for excess electricity fed back to the grid, she often pays nothing during the summer.
Net metering programs, common in most states, are crucial for boosting the attractiveness of residential solar. One study indicated that these programs can at least double homeowner demand for solar installations.
“Sun Day” isn’t limited to the US; events are also popping up in Canada, Australia, the UK, and across Europe. For instance, in Germany, an event will educate residents on new regulations for “balkonkraftwerk,” the balcony-mounted solar panels already powering half a million German households.
Interestingly, Joe Ackerman is hosting a “Sun Day” event in Winnipeg, Canada, despite his own home not having solar panels. He explained that his house’s orientation and the frequent, heavy snowfall in his area make it unsuitable for solar installation.
Nevertheless, Dr. Ackerman recently managed to eliminate natural gas heating from his century-old home by implementing better insulation and relying on an electric heater and a wood stove.
He emphasized, “There’s no improvement on your house that’s too small. Bit by bit, you can get it done.”
Credit: Moriah Ratner for The New York Times
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“Sun Day” extends beyond residential homes. In Kentucky, an event hosted by several nonprofits will showcase Lane Boldman, director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee, and her solar-equipped Winnebago, enabling her to camp entirely off the grid.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, Fairfax County schools plan a unique demonstration: powering a live band and a cotton candy machine directly from one of their expanding fleet of electric school buses.
Bobby Monacella, an organizer for Mothers Out Front, enthusiastically stated, “Every electric school bus we put on the road takes greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and pollution out of their lungs. Every time we get a new electric school bus it feels like a big win.”
The largest “Sun Day” celebration is anticipated in Portland, Oregon. There, numerous local organizations have arranged a grand festival featuring 25 food vendors, a parade over a local bridge, Indigenous dance performances, and an impressive display of giant papier-mâché animal puppets floating above the attendees.
Laura Iwanaga, who spearheaded Portland’s “Sun Day” event for the local chapter of Third Act (McKibben’s climate advocacy group), shared her vision: “I really wanted it to be celebratory and uplifting. We all know what we’re fighting against but we don’t always think about what we’re fighting for.”