The challenge
SolarCity's Community Solar Program was a novel concept: encourage neighborhoods to adopt solar together and lower costs through shared momentum. The idea was simple, but success required widespread public engagement, hyperlocal adoption, and policy shifts at the community level. Without major traction in California, the model wouldn't scale nationally. And without public trust, even the best incentives wouldn't gain ground.
The strategy
I developed and led a grassroots-focused public relations strategy that made solar adoption feel personal, achievable, and community-powered. We trained local solar advocates to act as neighborhood spokespeople, giving the campaign a trusted voice from the inside out.
Instead of treating this as a tech product launch, we treated it like a public movement: meeting people where they were, with language that matched each region's values. We built targeted media campaigns in dozens of counties, driving attendance at community info sessions and raising awareness in city councils and permitting offices. We also partnered with local environmental groups to press municipalities for more solar-friendly regulations, laying the groundwork for easier adoption at scale.
The outcome
- Widespread coverage in key regional publications across California, including the San Mateo County Times, Menlo Park Almanac, Santa Monica Mirror, Mountain View Voice, and Long Beach Signal Tribune
- National media validation, including features in USA Today and the Mercury News
- The program helped SolarCity reach a record-breaking 2.7 megawatts of residential solar installed in just 16 months, a benchmark at the time
- The California campaign became a template for national expansion and a model for neighborhood-scale clean energy deployment