The real power behind clean energy is you.
WHO WE ARE
Greenlight America is a mobilization hub supporting local and state-based groups across the country working to get clean energy projects built in their communities.
We are an independent, philanthropically-funded, 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH US?
Email partner@greenlightamerica.org to see how we can support you in bringing clean energy to your community.
WHAT WE OFFER:
Greenlight collaborates with local leaders and groups in places where clean energy projects are under development, along with national and state partners, to find, engage, and mobilize clean energy supporters through the Greenlight Network.
Just knowing where and when key votes are happening is a huge challenge for supporters looking to engage. We are creating a first-of-its-kind system that combines diverse data sources to identify 1) the projects “on the bubble” where constituent support can be make-or-break and 2) the hearings, meetings, or other points of input where supporters of clean energy projects can show up and influence the outcome.
Where partners are already campaigning for clean energy, Greenlight can help fill campaign and organizing gaps. Where no organizing efforts exist, Greenlight alerts groups in our network to upcoming critical milestones and helps them launch campaigns in their communities. As part of our campaigning, we support our network with tools, resources, and best practices for tailoring messages to local conditions. This includes identifying and articulating critical community benefits that projects will bring and fighting back against disinformation. Our team also facilitates connections to other groups and individuals to access technical and policy expertise, content creation, volunteer mobilization, funding–whatever campaigns need to win.
The Greenlight Mobilization Hub
In most of the U.S., whether clean energy projects get built is up to local elected officials–the county commission or the board of supervisors. These officials are elected to represent their communities. So when it comes to whether or not a clean energy project gets built in the community, what really matters is who from that community shows up to make their voices heard.
Clean energy has broad and deep support across the country, but that’s not the message local officials are hearing. That’s because opponents of projects–many of them driven by misinformation–are speaking out, while supporters aren’t.
The Greenlight Mobilization Hub aims to solve this problem by offering three key resources.
The Clean Energy Transition: Challenge & Opportunity
Wind and solar were the cheapest sources of power in 2020, with other clean technology like battery storage and geothermal not far behind. All run on state-of-the-art, proven technology. The majority of people (~70%) are supportive of building clean energy projects in their communities. The main obstacle standing in the way of this transition is not funding, technology, or popularity; it’s local political will. In most states, local jurisdictions (counties, towns) must approve clean energy projects. More than 100 such projects are blocked or stalled at the local level every year, and a recent study found that 15% of counties have effectively banned utility-scale wind or solar projects. According to a recent Berkeley Lab survey, clean energy developers have seen local opposition grow over the past five years, with 83% expecting the problem to get worse. Opposition to clean energy projects is typically driven by a vocal minority of local residents, often supported by fossil fuel-funded astroturf efforts and powered by disinformation. These NIMBY efforts are doing a great job blocking clean energy projects at the local level, while supporters aren’t showing up. There is no effort to engage and mobilize local residents for building clean energy at a similar scale–and in fact, while there are supporters of clean energy in most communities across the country, no one is tracking clean energy projects and letting them know when and where to engage. In short, supporters are not engaging in part because no one is asking them to.
WE NEED TO BUILD LOTS OF CLEAN ENERGY
We're on the brink of a huge shift towards clean energy. To meet U.S. goals for addressing climate change, we need to build over 10,000 miles of new power lines and start 6,000 projects for generating clean energy in the next ten years. That's almost two new projects every day–a pace three times faster than the busiest year the energy sector has ever seen. But we’re America. We can do this!
The clean energy transition is necessary for our country’s future. It’s necessary to protect our air, water, land, and weather. It’s necessary to preserve our energy independence. And it’s also necessary to maintain our American way of life–reversing decades of underinvestment particularly in small towns and rural areas.
LOCAL SUPPORT CAN MAKE OR BREAK A PROJECT
The main obstacle standing in the way of this transition is not funding or technology; it’s permitting at the local level. In most states, local jurisdictions (counties, towns) must approve clean energy projects. Hundreds of projects are blocked or stalled at the local level every year, and a recent study found that 15% of counties have effectively banned utility-scale wind or solar projects. According to a recent Berkeley Lab survey, clean energy developers have seen local opposition grow over the past five years, with 83% expecting the problem to get worse. Opposition to clean energy projects at the local level is typically driven by a vocal minority of residents. That’s a problem because it means decisions about projects are not being determined by the clean energy we need to power our economy, or the benefits a community will get from a project–they’re determined by who shows up. A vocal minority of opponents can block a project. But on the flip side, it also means a small number of supporters showing up can get one approved!
WILL YOUR COMMUNITY EMBRACE THE CLEAN ENERGY OPPORTUNITY?
Clean energy represents a new era of enormous economic opportunity, particularly for rural areas. By welcoming clean energy projects, communities can tap into a wealth of benefits: job creation in construction and maintenance, increased tax revenues that can improve schools and infrastructure, land lease payments that provide steady income to family farms, and the development of local businesses to support these projects. Furthermore, these renewable energy installations can contribute to energy independence, stabilize local energy costs, and enhance the overall quality of life, making communities where these projects are sited into vibrant hubs of clean, sustainable development.
We are on the cusp of a massive clean energy transformation. In order to hit U.S. emissions reduction targets, we must build more than 10,000 miles of transmission lines and 6,000 clean power generation projects in the next decade–almost two per day. That would equate to 600 projects and roughly 75 GW of clean power capacity per year, triple the pace of the fastest year of energy deployment in American history. The Inflation Reduction Act promises massive investment in this sector; projections suggest it will remove almost 500 million net metric tons of carbon dioxide annually from clean power generation. Much of the IRA’s investments in clean energy infrastructure are via uncapped tax benefits, meaning that the rate of investment and resulting emissions reductions depends on voluntary adoption levels. If we build faster than anticipated, we will see greater reductions in emissions; if we build slower than projected, we will fall short.