Susan Millar, in Madison, Wisconsin, hosted an open house at her home not to sell it, but to showcase her impressive suite of solar-powered installations. Dozens of curious visitors explored her heat pump, solar panels, battery storage system, and electric induction stove, learning firsthand about sustainable living.
Her event was just one of over 450 “Sun Day” activities planned across nearly all 50 states. These nationwide demonstrations, including EV parades, church sermons, and home tours, celebrate solar power and renewable energy, culminating on Sunday, just before the Autumn solar equinox.
Millar proudly explained that even a 90-year-old home like hers can operate entirely without fossil fuels, demonstrating a tangible path to energy independence.
The concept for Sun Day originated with renowned climate activist and New Yorker writer, Bill McKibben. He conceived the idea years ago, noticing the plummeting costs of renewable energy. Indeed, solar power has seen its costs drop by almost 90% over the past 15 years, becoming the most affordable energy source globally.
McKibben metaphorically described solar power as transforming from the “Whole Foods of energy”—perceived as niche and expensive—to the “Costco of power”—affordable, abundant, and readily accessible to all.
This celebration of solar energy unfolds against a backdrop of political challenges. The current administration and Congress have reportedly sought to roll back crucial tax credits for electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar power. Funding for initiatives like ‘Solar for All,’ designed to make solar energy accessible to lower-income families, has been rescinded, and efforts to hinder the offshore wind industry, including canceling projects already underway, have been observed.
Simultaneously, there is an ongoing push to expand the development and use of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, which are significant contributors to global warming.
This isn’t America’s first Sun Day. Back on May 3, 1978, President Jimmy Carter, renowned for installing 32 solar panels on the White House, inaugurated a similar day of solar celebration. Interestingly, those panels were later removed by President Ronald Reagan.
In states with Republican leadership, some Sun Day organizers aim to highlight widespread grassroots support for clean energy solutions.
Lisa Young, director of the Idaho Sierra Club chapter, notes the challenges faced by community solar initiatives in her state, including utility resistance and a lack of supportive legislation. Idaho also missed out on $56 million in federal ‘Solar for All’ grants due to cancellations.
Despite these hurdles, Young’s chapter has organized several Sun Day events in Idaho, from bilingual workshops to an electric car expo and a bicycle rally. A highlight includes a party to kick off a crowdfunding campaign for community solar panels on a Boise hair salon.
Shari Baber, the salon owner, shared that solar energy once seemed out of reach for some Black communities in Boise due to cost. Now, with more affordable prices and significant savings on electricity, she hopes her business will inspire others.
In the Washington, D.C. area, Natalie Pien will lead one of over 80 home tours. After installing solar panels on her Virginia home 15 years ago, her monthly energy bills plummeted from over $150 to around $35. Thanks to net metering, she often receives no bill during summer, as her utility credits her for excess power fed back to the grid.
Net metering programs, prevalent in most states, are crucial for residential solar adoption, with one study indicating they can double homeowner demand.
Sun Day’s reach extends internationally, with events in Canada, Australia, the UK, and Europe. In Germany, a focus will be on “balkonkraftwerk”—balcony-mounted solar panels now found in half a million German homes—and their new regulatory standards.
Even without solar panels, Joe Ackerman is hosting a Sun Day event in Winnipeg, Canada. His home’s orientation and heavy snowfall make rooftop solar impractical, he noted.
However, Ackerman successfully transitioned his century-old home away from natural gas heating through insulation, an electric heater, and a wood stove.
His message: “There’s no improvement on your house that’s too small. Bit by bit, you can get it done.”
Beyond residential tours, Sun Day will showcase diverse applications of clean energy. In Kentucky, Lane Boldman, director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee, will demonstrate her solar-equipped Winnebago, enabling off-grid camping adventures.
Fairfax County, Virginia, schools will utilize an electric school bus from their expanding fleet to power a live band and cotton candy machine at an event, highlighting the versatility of electric vehicles.
Bobby Monacella of Mothers Out Front, an organizing group, emphasizes the dual benefit: “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 event is anticipated in Portland, Oregon. Organized by numerous local groups, it promises a grand festival featuring 25 food vendors, a vibrant parade across a local bridge, Indigenous dance performances, and an array of giant papier-mâché animal puppets floating above the festivities.
Laura Iwanaga, who spearheaded Portland’s Sun Day event for Third Act, a climate advocacy group co-founded by McKibben, expressed 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.”