Climate Good News
As many of you are aware, President Trump has been canceling incentives for solar and wind projects. Just today (8/19/25), he signed an order to prohibit solar on farmlands, a source of income for many farmers. But, here is the good news. The following article announces a new possibility … an affordable game changer in residential solar.
Bright Saver: Affordable Solar Makes its Debut
“Balcony solar, it’s like the moon landing or something. It’s something people so deeply want to be true that they will work really hard to make it happen. It’s a vision, a direction to point towards.” So says Cora Stryker, a social entrepreneur and cofounder of Bright Saver, a brand new climate action nonprofit, working to accelerate the adoption of ultra-simple plug-in solar in America.
Wow, you might say — that sounds so easy … must be too good to be true. What would you say if you heard that plug-in solar is used by 1.7 million Germans?
It hasn’t come to the United States in force for a number of structural reasons. In Europe, you can buy it at Ikea for a couple hundred dollars and just plug it in — easy, and it helps you save on your electricity bills immediately. This became really popular when the war in Ukraine started and energy prices went up significantly, very quickly.
Stryker says traditional roof top solar can cost $30,000 or more. Her solution is much cheaper. You could buy one of these plug-in solar setups for $2,000 dollars, but her company really wants to serve everyone, so the way they are structuring it is to offer a subscription model. The subscription is $29 a month, and for their first 100 plug-in solar kit sales, they are guaranteeing that those customers will save that much on their energy bills each month, or get reimbursed.
“We kind of think of this as a gateway drug to climate action — because we want to make it really, really easy for people to do something about climate change at no extra cost.”
For now, Stryker is buying her solar panel setups from a trusted supplier to deliver to customers in the San Francisco Bay area, but they are hoping to scale up as people realize how good the deal is. The difference between the United States and Europe is the U.S. has a 120-volt electrical system. In Europe, there’s a 230-volt electrical system, so a slightly different version of the technology is needed. The system is less money in Europe because there are so many suppliers, ergo, the price has fallen.
Around the world, countries are seeing a huge boom in solar even with no government support. Maybe there is not even government awareness. In places like Pakistan and South Africa where the national grid is bad, people are buying solar panels because they’re a great way to provide cheap electricity for families.
At a time when alternative energy is being attacked by our government and subsidies and incentives are being withdrawn, plug-in solar may just be an answer whose timing is perfect. It is a pure market solution that does not rely on navigating people through subsidies or regulations and hopefully can happen under the radar and not attract much political animosity.
In March, the company knew they needed to get through the proof-of-concept phase. But then, once they could get to the other side, who wouldn’t want this? It’s inexpensive, it reduces utility expenses. It produces clean energy. You don’t need to be a homeowner. Renters can get it. It’s really available to anyone! This was the picture in March.
Six months later, Bright Saver is producing two products — the original rigid backyard plug-in panels and now a more flexible material that you can wrap around a balcony or hang off your porch. The first shipment of these sold out in a week.
Plug-In Solar Panels Connect Directly
Plug-in solar panels connect directly to a standard home outlet allowing solar energy to flow into your home’s electrical circuit, reducing the energy you draw from the grid.
The founders say people love the feeling of being empowered to make this contribution to reducing climate change on their own without government subsidies, intense lobbying or prohibiting regulations.
“Now, we do want people to talk to their legislators.” A bipartisan legislature coalition in Utah passed a certification process for balcony solar — stating it is actually a home appliance that does not need the rigorous regulations that other new energy products do. In Germany, you can buy a setup at Ikea.
In Germany, Balcony Solar was very people-driven. It was a DIY movement for 10 years. The trend has continued in the same humanistic direction, which was people wanting it for themselves, originally with no subsidies, and just wanting lower energy prices, wanting to do something about climate. So, I think it’s very empowering,” observes Stryker.
“Solar is the cheapest form of energy on the planet, full stop and Bright Saver is a really strong example of this. We can’t be passive. We can’t just sit back and watch it without us. We need to be as aggressive as we are as activists.” says Stryker.
“It is sort of a market enablement model that we have at Bright Saver, because we truly hope to put ourselves out of a job. We want to be obsolete.
Five years from now, we want this to be taking off without us like it is in Germany. And the question is, how … how do we get to that that place?”
Strangely enough, by having a product that needs no regulation. It just plugs in; there are no huge regulatory hoops — no impossible legislation that needs undoing. Easy does it — electricity for the masses!!
What is plug-in solar?
Plug-in solar panels connect directly to a standard home outlet, allowing solar energy to flow into your home’s electrical circuit and reduce the electricity you draw from the grid.
Flexibility
No roof, no problem!
Payback terms
Payback period of around 5 years, based on where you live.
Savings
Savings of $35-$55 a month based on where you live.
Clean energy
Lower emissions, cleaner air, brighter future.
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Your Daily Dose of Climate Hope: Interview with Cora Stryker on Bright Saver’s Balcony Solar Progress!
https://climateactapp.substack.com/p/your-daily-dose-of-climatehope-interview-a23
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Solar-Powered Shipping Containers House Homeless
In a continued effort to address homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona, the city has turned to shipping containers.
Earlier this year, the City of Phoenix opened the Phoenix Navigation Center, or what architect Brian Stark calls X-WING.
It opens up 80 beds to people experiencing homelessness in an especially crucial time, as more and more people need access to cool, safe indoor spaces in summer weather.
Shipping container housing is not a new concept, but it is one Stark is eager to improve upon. His buildings are already abundant across Phoenix.
Stark’s architecture firm, Steel + Spark, designed X-Wing with the needs of residents in mind.
It consists of four 40-foot steel converted shipping containers that are placed in the shape of an “X,” converging in the middle. Each container can sleep up to 20 people in private 5-by-8-foot rooms (with one resident per room), and they all offer central air conditioning powered by solar energy.
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https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/x-wing-shippingcontainer-homes-phoenix
