In Madison, Wisconsin, Susan Millar recently welcomed a dozen curious visitors into her home. It wasn’t for a real estate showing, but an open house showcasing her fully electric, solar-powered lifestyle, complete with a heat pump, solar panels, battery storage, and an electric induction stove.
Millar’s open house was just one of over 450 ‘Sun Day’ events planned across almost all 50 states. These nationwide celebrations, including electric vehicle parades, church sermons, and home tours, aim to highlight solar power and renewable energy solutions. Many events are scheduled for Sunday, just before the Autumn solar equinox, though Millar got an early start.
“You can live in a 90-year-old home like this one without burning anything,” Millar explained, emphasizing how her household has completely eliminated fossil fuel consumption.
The concept for Sun Day originated with acclaimed climate activist and New Yorker writer, Bill McKibben. He conceived the idea as the cost of renewable energy began its significant descent. Solar power, in particular, has emerged as the globe’s most affordable energy source, with its costs plummeting by almost 90 percent over the past decade and a half, as reported by Our World in Data.
McKibben colorfully articulated the shift, stating that solar power is no longer ‘the Whole Foods of energy — nice but pricey.’ Instead, he likened it to ‘the Costco of power — cheap, available in bulk, and on the shelf ready to go,’ underscoring its widespread accessibility and affordability. This comes as Susan B. Millar, a retired scientist, is actively discussing solar energy during open houses at her solar-powered home.
This nationwide push for solar comes amidst significant political headwinds. The current administration and a Republican-led Congress have actively sought to roll back crucial tax credits for electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar installations. They’ve also halted funding for initiatives like ‘Solar for All,’ a program designed to bring solar energy to low-income communities. Furthermore, the administration has recently taken steps to impede the offshore wind industry, even canceling wind farm projects already under construction.
Concurrently, the administration continues to champion the expansion of oil, gas, and coal development — fossil fuels whose combustion is a primary driver of global warming. Climate activist Bill McKibben, co-founder of Third Act, has been a prominent voice at climate rallies, advocating for change.
This isn’t America’s first ‘Sun Day’ celebration. President Jimmy Carter famously installed 32 solar panels on the White House and proclaimed May 3, 1978, as the original Sun Day. Unfortunately, those panels were later removed by President Ronald Reagan.
Organizers in several Republican-governed states hope these Sun Day events will clearly demonstrate robust grassroots support for clean energy solutions.
According to Lisa Young, director of the Sierra Club’s Idaho chapter, community solar initiatives — which allow multiple households to share power from a single installation — have encountered significant resistance from local utilities and lack supportive state legislation. Idaho also missed out on $56 million in federal ‘Solar for All’ grants after their cancellation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Despite these obstacles, Young’s chapter has successfully organized several Sun Day events across Idaho. These include bilingual workshops, an electric car expo, and a lively bicycle rally. A standout event will be a party to kick off a crowdfunding campaign, aiming to install community solar panels on a hair salon in Boise. The back of Ms. Millar’s Madison home, with its solar panels, stands as a testament to living without burning anything.
Shari Baber, the salon owner, noted that the initial high cost of solar had made it seem out of reach for some Black communities in Boise. Now, with decreasing prices and the promise of substantial savings on electricity bills, she aspires for her business to become a shining example for others. Shari Baber, pictured in her Boise salon, is a local advocate for community solar.
In the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Natalie Pien is hosting one of over 80 scheduled home tours. Having installed solar panels on her Virginia residence 15 years ago, Pien reports a dramatic drop in her energy costs—from over $150 a month to approximately $35. Thanks to a utility program that credits her for excess electricity fed back into the grid, she often pays nothing for power during the summer.
These crucial ‘net metering’ programs, present in most states, are pivotal to the attractiveness of residential solar. Research indicates that net metering can at least double homeowner demand for solar installations.
Sun Day’s reach extends internationally, with events planned in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and various European countries. In Germany, one gathering will educate citizens on the latest standards for ‘balkonkraftwerk’ – compact, balcony-mounted solar panels already powering half a million German homes.
Interestingly, some Sun Day events aren’t strictly focused on solar panels. In Canada, Joe Ackerman is hosting an event despite his Winnipeg home not being suitable for solar due to its orientation and the region’s heavy snowfall.
Nevertheless, Ackerman successfully eliminated natural gas for heating his century-old home by implementing enhanced insulation, an electric heater, and a wood stove.
“No home improvement is too small,” he advised, emphasizing that sustainable changes can be achieved ‘bit by bit.’ Bobby Monacella, a senior organizer for Mothers Out Front, is actively involved in these climate initiatives, as is Lane Boldman, director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee.
The largest Sun Day celebration is anticipated in Portland, Oregon. Here, numerous local organizations have collaborated to create a grand festival featuring 25 food vendors, a captivating parade across a local bridge, Indigenous dance performances, and a whimsical display of giant papier-mâché animal puppets floating above the attendees.
Laura Iwanaga, who spearheaded Portland’s Sun Day organization for the local chapter of Third Act—McKibben’s national climate advocacy group—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.”