COSEIA Launches Solar CitiSuns Advocacy Group

Recently at the Colorado Solar Energy industries Association’s (COSEIA’s) Conference: 2015 Solar Power Colorado: The Next 25 Years the organization introduced its new grassroots nonprofit Solar CitiSuns. The new nonprofit is aimed at engaging Coloradans in advocating for clean energy policy and making sure solar remains a viable industry in the state. It was a public unveiling of the new nonprofit, which was first introduced last November. “Without the grassroots support of citizens we don’t have the momentum behind us to advance such policy,” said COSEIA Board President Piper Foster, a vice president at Amaris Controls. “So this year the COSIEA Board of Directors voted to inaugurate a new non-profit for the purpose of cultivating this solar grassroots activism called Solar CitiSuns.” Solar on a home. Courtesy Solar CitiSuns “Stable solar policy is incredibly important to our industry,” said COSEIA Board member T.J. Slocum, a regional sales manager with Sunrun. He observed that in the last year there were at least 21 battles against net-metering across the country. “We won 20 out of 21 of those disputes.” The new nonprofit is based on COSEIA’s previous Million Solar Roofs campaign and is organized to engage Colorado’s residents in a way that COSEIA isn’t. “We’ve organized and had people come out to support solar but its always been a little bit difficult doing that through a network of companies and making sure we’re getting the message out clearly,” Slocum said. He added, “It’s not necessarily appropriate for people to be a member of a business association. Solar CitiSuns, Slocum said, is a way to engage interested people in what’s happening with policy in solar in general. “We’ll have a membership base that’s going to receive a quarterly newsletter and…they can become part of an engaged online community that we can call to action if we need to and get people involved,” he said. The organization started with $3,500 in seed funding at a party in Colorado Springs in November. It has a site at www.gosolarcolorado.org where people can sign up for quarterly newsletters and learn about solar legislation and advocacy efforts.