On a sunny day in Virginia, standing beside a small community farm, arts center, church, or an opioid recovery facility tucked deep in Appalachia, solar panels can feel like more than just technology. They can feel like relief. Like possibility – like someone finally showed up with much needed help.

That’s the heart of Norfolk Solar Solutions (NSS), a nonprofit built by Ruth McElroy Amundsen, Ivy Main, and Alden Cleanthes – three longtime clean-energy advocates who saw a simple truth: too many people and organizations that could benefit most from solar are locked out of it. Solar, they knew, didn’t have to be that way.

“Standing on a roof where solar never would have existed – and knowing it’s only there because you helped make it happen – that feeling never gets old,” says Ruth. “And when it means near-zero energy bills for a family or a nonprofit, that’s energy for all.”

Building something different

Ruth, an engineer and longtime solar enthusiast, had already spent years helping bring solar to schools, nonprofits, and low-income communities. Ivy, a lawyer and energy policy expert, had been fighting for better solar rules across Virginia. Alden, a scientist and advocate, had come to clean energy through a deeply personal experience. “Clean energy became personal for me when my son nearly died from contaminated water,” says Alden. “The fastest path to clean air and clean water is clean energy – and that’s what keeps me in this work.”

Together, they saw a gap that no one else was filling. Even with tax incentives expiring in 2027, there was no easy way for everyday people – or community institutions without capital – to get solar if they didn’t have good credit, or cash upfront. At the same time, there were people who wanted to help accelerate clean energy but didn’t have a sunny roof themselves or know how else to do it locally, tangibly, and equitably. “Renewable energy is the good news side of the climate story,” says Ivy. “It’s one of the rare solutions that’s a win for the climate, a win for communities, and a win for people’s pocketbooks.”

Norfolk Solar Solutions’s nonprofit model set out to develop solar projects in Virginia at no cost for other nonprofits, community organizations, and households that otherwise couldn’t afford them – places like food banks, women’s recovery centers, and homes in rural or low-income neighborhoods.

For projects that get grant funding and/or donations to cover the entire cost, NSS will give the solar at no cost to the client whatsoever through a zero-dollar power purchase agreement (PPA). Where grant funding and donations can’t cover the full project cost, NSS will offer low-cost PPAs that ensure the client is never out of pocket, and sees real savings on their utility bill right from the start. “I grew up in deep poverty,” says Alden. “I know firsthand how much a single hand up can matter – and solar can be that hand up for a lot of communities.”

For many partners, that savings is transformative – it means more money for food, housing, or healthcare. It means fewer impossible choices between keeping the lights on and serving the community. And increasingly, it means resilience. “When the power goes out during an extreme weather event, solar plus batteries can turn a community building into a lifeline – somewhere people can charge phones, run medical devices, and take care of each other,” says Ruth.

Changing the story about who solar is for

“Solar shouldn’t be something you need wealth or perfect credit to access,” says Ruth. “When we finance solar the right way, families and community organizations can benefit for decades.”

One of the biggest myths Norfolk Solar Solutions confronts is the idea that solar is “only for rich people.” Ruth hears it all the time. Ivy sees it in policy debates. Alden has lived the consequences of communities being excluded from clean energy solutions. Their response isn’t theoretical – it’s personal. 

When solar panels show up on a recovery center in Appalachia, a neighborhood arts organization, or a modest home in a rural community, perceptions shift. People see that solar doesn’t poison the land, doesn’t hurt farming, and doesn’t belong only to someone else. It belongs here, to them, and the community. “The idea that only wealthy people care about clean energy is backwards,” says Ivy. “The people with the most at stake are often the ones who’ve been left out.”

Norfolk Solar Solutions proves that clean energy doesn’t have to be centralized, corporate, or disconnected from real life. Their model:

• Gets solar into the community quickly, where it otherwise wouldn’t exist
• Cuts energy costs for organizations doing essential community work
• Builds local solar jobs by working with Virginia-based installers
• Strengthens resilience as climate impacts worsen
• Turns clean energy into active resistance during a time when federal leadership is moving backward
  

Perhaps most importantly, it reminds people that progress doesn’t only come from elected leaders. It comes from neighbors helping neighbors, one rooftop at a time. “If you can’t put solar on your own roof, putting it on a school or local organization you care about is just as powerful – because you know that clean energy is actually being added to the grid,” says Ivy.

That vision inspired Tyla Matteson to become Norfolk Solar Solutions’ first major donor. Tyla is a retired teacher and climate advocate from Richmond who volunteers with the Sierra Club. She loved the idea that solar isn’t a one-time donation but rather a gift that keeps giving, helping the recipients month after month for years to come. “I am happy to be a part of the exciting work of Norfolk Solar Solutions,” she says.

Looking ahead

Right now, Norfolk Solar Solutions is focused on getting its first wave of projects built and visible – real rooftops, real partners, real savings. As the first installations in Virginia come online, the team plans to expand access to nonprofits, rural communities, and households facing high energy burdens, while increasingly pairing solar with batteries so community buildings can serve as reliable hubs during power outages. To fund additional installations, they will reach out to individuals inspired by this work for donations, and look for grants from government and non-profits.

Their long-term goal isn’t just growth – it’s replication. Norfolk Solar Solutions hopes other communities see this work and realize it’s doable without massive corporate support or perfect conditions. At a time when national climate leadership feels uncertain, the team is betting on local action and shared responsibility. As Ruth puts it, “This isn’t about waiting for someone else to fix things. It’s about using what we have right now to put clean energy where it can do the most good, for the most people.”