News > Solar tax credit under attack: How we delivered 100,000+ messages to Congress

Solar tax credit under attack: How we delivered 100,000+ messages to Congress

• Energy democracy & policy

July 3, 2025

• Tayler Butters

This year has been a critical one for solar as Congress has voted on a short-sighted budget that eliminates the residential solar tax credit. The 30% solar tax credit — originally set to expire in 2034 — plays a vital role in creating an affordable clean energy option. As a result of the Senate vote, the tax credit is set to expire after 2025. Without the credit, going solar becomes much more expensive for families and small businesses, and as a result, puts hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. 

We are committed to turn this short-term loss into long-term victory — it’s still a matter of when, not if, rooftop solar will be at the cornerstone of our energy system.

Solar United Neighbors Action (SUN) has worked tirelessly to let Congress know why solar energy matters to families, communities, and our future. Because of you, we’re making noise, to the tune of more than 100,000 emails and 2,500 calls to lawmakers. We’ve also coordinated a total of 71 constituent meetings in 27 states to advocate for the solar tax credit. 

Volunteer engagement

The solar community stepped up, with nine newly trained volunteer coaches helping solar constituents schedule meetings with their Senators — like Ray Wilson in Indiana, who supported other volunteers as they met with their Senators. Wilson organized a postcard writing campaign at his church, resulting in more than 40 postcards to deliver to Senator Todd Young. 

“After three contacts, I still did not get a response,” said Wilson, “[As the meeting] was so timely, I grew impatient and just dropped in at their Indy office unannounced. I was welcomed by a staff assistant who spent a half hour with me. I came prepared with bullet point notes of what I wanted to talk about… And I ended by giving him the SUN postcards written by my church family. I was pleasantly surprised at his reaction to the cards. They seemed like treasure to him.”

David Fuhry, a SUN volunteer based in Ohio, met with a member of his Representative’s staff to share how essential the solar tax credit was for going solar. The credit allowed Fuhry and his family to lock in low-cost utility bills and, with the addition of his battery storage, was able to maintain power after days of grid outage during recent storms. Fuhry also brought along print outs of his utility bills to showcase his solar savings.

“It felt really good to make my voice heard on solar, like I was making a difference,” said Fuhry, “The best part for me was that, whether by coincidence or in some part by consequence, two days after the meeting my Congressman signed on to a letter supporting energy tax credits which include the residential tax credit.”

In April, SUN volunteers from six states flew into Washington, D.C. to discuss the importance of the solar tax credit with their representatives. The group included solar owners and industry workers from across the country. They spent 10 hours advocating for federal investments in solar energy with legislative staff on Capitol Hill.

“We made an impact by providing a candid, hopeful perspective on solar energy,” said Felipe Muñoz from Nebraska.

Solar goes social

Online, we hosted two Social Media Days of Action, a campaign which encouraged our supporters and solar industry members to tag their representatives in posts to protect green energy. The campaign was a success, with 152 posts from the SUN community across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,  Instagram, and Bluesky. 

Not only did the campaign advocate for Congress to save the credit, it also raised awareness for the importance of the credit in communities across the country. Users posted their electricity bills, demonstrating that solar is not only effective clean energy, but a cost saving option for households. 

Solar community rallies in D.C.

Our Virginia Program Director Brandon Praileau gave a galvanizing speech at the Save Main Street Solar Rally on June 17 in Washington, D.C. Praileau, who worked to get solar panels installed on his church, spoke about how the solar panels made his church into a refuge for his community during power outages and urged Congress to support the tax credit.

“Without these tax credits, vulnerable communities will suffer from rising energy costs and rolling blackouts. Without these tax credits, workers that stand behind me, businesses and families will crumble under the economic strain of losing jobs and losing businesses. Without these tax credits, Americans will not be able to understand the benefit of solar energy, but the good news today is we have an opportunity to make our voices heard,” he said during his speech. 

Solar cannot be stopped

Despite the outcome, our work won’t stop. We will continue to fight to make solar accessible and affordable for all – no matter what. Across the country, our work continues to thrive, with activities like our Colorado bulk buying program, which has surpassed 2,000 members — allowing Denver-area households to save money by going solar together. SUN played an important role in securing Virginia’s Distributed Power Plants, a decentralized electricity generation system that allows solar owners to be compensated for participating. The virtual plants utilize the power of existing energy resources, resulting in lower electricity costs for all Virginia residents.

We are our strongest when we fight together, and our work is far from done. SUN will continue to advocate for fair solar policies while supporting solar owners and advocates. Join us in the fight to save solar access and preserve solar energy.