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What if we democratized access to clean energy?

Dial Fellows

Posted December 2020

Solar entrepreneur Steph Speirs explains why clean, solar energy is out of reach for most Americans — and shares a visionary approach to make it more accessible.

Solar power has promised to provide homeowners with cheap, clean energy. But the reality is that four out of five Americans can’t actually install solar panels on their rooftops – either because they rent, or because their roof is facing the wrong direction, or because they can't afford the upfront installation cost.

That's where clean energy entrepreneur and Emerson Collective Dial Fellow Steph Speirs comes in. She has an innovative way to get everyone — including Americans locked out of the solar market — access to clean, affordable, solar power.

We believe that energy is a human right.

Her organization, Solstice, connects households, businesses, and community organizations to shared solar farms, providing a clean energy solution for those who cannot install solar panels on their rooftops. And what’s more — they’ve found an inclusive new way to help low-income Americans qualify financially for solar too.

Watch the film above as Speirs explains her revolutionary approach to cleaner, cheaper solar power.

"What If We" is an upcoming film series profiling our most complex problems and the leaders with the big ideas on what comes next.

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