How worker-ownership helped California Solar create good jobs

The Baltimore Shines program provides free solar panel installations to low-income homeowners through a 20-year lease model. An average of $1,500 in annual electricity bill savings have been achieved for 50 residents so far, with a plan of reaching 170 installations by the end of 2026.

A 9.1-megawatt community solar farm built on a contaminated Superfund site in Waukegan, Illinois, is now providing guaranteed energy bill savings to about 1,000 low-income households. The project successfully transformed polluted land into a productive asset that also generates lease payments for the local school district.

Residents of mobile home communities are coming together to collectively buy the land their houses are on and establish cooperatives. It ensures their rent stays affordable long term, and some state governments are making it easier to do so to help address housing affordability crises.

The Philadelphia-based company Solar States offers a paid training opportunity for city residents to learn to install solar panels and earn the necessary credentials to help them start careers in the industry. The company’s newest program, Find Your Ladder, is a training opportunity for people who have been through the criminal justice system.

The Kensington Corridor Trust acquires properties along three blocks in its Philadelphia neighborhood to give the community agency and control over how that real estate is used, with an emphasis on keeping housing affordable. The trust has acquired 16 properties so far and has signed its first commercial tenant, providing space for a local business owner.

The Timberline Solar Energy Shingle roof is made up of solar-power integrated, nailable shingles that allow homeowners to keep the look of traditional roofing shingles while reaping the benefits of solar energy. This prevents aesthetic-related issues with homeowner associations and installation bottlenecks that complicate the process of installing solar panels.

A collaborative partnership among local and national organizations made it possible to install solar panels on 10 Greensboro homes for free. Because of this effort, many low-income families have seen a significant decrease in their energy bills and an increase in value of their homes. Although convincing people to install the panels was a challenge, organizers are now figuring out how to scale the initiative and make it sustainable in the longterm.

As building developers in Kenya design new structures that are more environmentally friendly and sustainable, they can look to the Garden City Mall in Nairobi as a successful example. This mixed-use development with shopping, residential, and office spaces uses solar energy, which helps cut energy costs by over 30 million shillings each year. The mall also was the first in the region to receive an international green building certification.

Moldova used government regulations and local installations of solar panels and biomass systems to respond to the Russia energy crisis, empowering local communities to create their own renewable energy cooperatives. These have helped increase the nation's renewable energy from 3% to 25% and reduce heating electricity costs in participating towns.

Agricultural cooperatives in Hawai'i pool small farmers' resources to collectively process, market, and sell their crops, with successful examples like the Hawai'i 'Ulu Cooperative enabling nearly 200 members to reach broader markets and the Hawaii Cattle Producers Cooperative shipping 8,000-9,000 cattle annually while returning surplus profits to rancher-members, though some co-ops have failed due to declining membership and market pressures.