Energy Allies

Co-designing a just transition

Impact

Our Impact

ABOUT US

In 2022, our team refocused our mission, goals, and theory of change to better serve our communities.

Thank you for supporting our work to revolutionize the energy system!

"
We are building a movement rooted in energy justice and energy democracy to co-design democratized clean energy systems that build wealth in climate-impacted communities via a decentralized energy grid.
"

YESENIA RIVERA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MEET OUR TEAM
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COMMITTED

Community Advisory Board

In 2022, Energy Allies committed 45% of our project funding to facilitating our Boston Community Solar Cooperative.
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RAISED

Inclusive Energy Research

In 2022, Energy Allies raised over $270,000 to expand research into how to make our energy system more inclusive.
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COMMITTED

Education

In 2022, Energy Allies raised $75,000 to develop our energy system educational programming and resources.
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RAISED

Community-led project technical assistance

In 2022, Energy Allies raised $360,124 for clean energy projects led by and for communities.

ORGANIZING
ENERGY

EDUCATION

INCLUSIVE
RESEARCH

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
YESENIA RIVERA

NEW DIRECTION

Yesenia brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and clear direction. With Yesenia as Executive Director, our movement aims to end the perpetuation of high energy burdens in climate-impacted communities. 
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GRANTS

Thank you to our non-profit and government sponsors!
COMING SOON
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CENTERING CLIMATE-IMPACTED COMMUNITIES

While our name has changed, our mission has remained in the same vein. Energy Allies has always been a non profit organization led by women of color.

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ORGANIZING
FOR ENERGY JUSTICE

We are facilitating partnerships with community members, local organizations, and property owners to build coalitions that enhance access to clean energy.

Together, we site local clean energy projects and co-design programs for community members to democratize the energy system. 

This year, we developed an outreach strategy for the Buffalo Project, including a plan for our Buffalo Community Advisory Board (set to begin in July 2023), community surveys, and educational events. Our Team created a Request for Information (RFI) to seek out a co-developer partner on this project who has extensive experience in project development in upstate NY’s National Grid territory. We also identified 114 potential sites for the project through a GIS mapping process. The next steps will be to narrow these down based on solar potential and research property owners so we can begin outreach to them in the new year and PUSH will be working to implement the outreach plan on the ground.

Our Boston Project Team has identified almost 1000 possible sites for a community-led solar project in Boston. Our work in Boston began in 2021 through conducting research with mission-aligned organizations in the community. We conducted outreach in-person and through distributing educational resources to over 30 local organizations. Local community organizations and members decided to partner with us on the Boston project by joining our community advisory board. Our partnerships with Union Capital Boston and CoEverything have been major players in our community outreach, organizing, and engagement in Boston. Our Boston Project Team has reached out to over 100 organizations to date to build a movement for community-led solar in Boston.

Since 2020, we’ve mobilized our collective group of paid community members and organization representatives, or Community Advisory Board (CAB), to identify priorities and vote on local energy solutions in Boston, MA. Over the past two years, our strategic partnerships have led our Boston Community Advisory Board to plan to establish the Boston Community Solar Cooperative today. Renewable Renegades, Fairmont Indigo CDC Collaborative, Bikes not Bombs, TSK Energy Solutions, CoEverything, and ReVision Energy joined us to actively plan forming the Boston Community Solar Cooperative. In 2022, our Community Advisory Board meetings were focused around a lot of topics: 

  • Workforce Development
  • Working group planning
  • Participation Prioritization Criteria
  • Project siting
  • Project Ownership
  • Solar Cooperatives
  • Project Finance
  • Project structure & collaboration

EDUCATION

Led By And For Climate-Impacted Communities

Energy Allies is deploying accessible programs with a well-paid, local, and diverse workforce to engage community members in clean energy projects.

Energy Allies hosts events on the following topics:

  • Energy Justice

  • Energy Democracy

  • Energy Efficiency

  • Energy Equity

  • Policy and Research

  • Green Careers

In addition, our local Project Team members host regular Community Advisory Board meetings in Boston and partner meetings with community-based organizations to engage community leadership at every phase of the project.

Watch recaps of our most recent events here.

Climate-impacted communities must have greater opportunities to yield social, economic, and environmental benefits from energy savings.

2022 Policy Summary

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POLICY
ADVOCACY

Energy Allies advocates for more inclusive clean energy policy at the federal and state levels via participation in energy justice coalitions. This year we have become more actively involved in coalitions, particularly in Massachusetts and at the federal level, with the addition of new staff, and in particular our Executive Director. We have joined three new coalitions: The Energy Democracy Project, Fix the Grid New England and the Boston Green New Deal. We have signed over 15 letters of support for legislation that advances clean energy and a just transition. We have taken seven additional actions, including organizational testimony and comment submission, in support of limiting fossil fuel expansion, increasing renewable energy deployment, and improving community solar access in climate-impacted communities.

RESEARCH

INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY SOLAR RESEARCH

In 2022, our Research Team deployed research publications, community member surveys and focus groups alongside our partnerships with Solstice Power Technologies and community organizations. Thanks to a generous research grant from DOE, Energy Allies invested over $170,000 in our research in 2022, 80% refunded by the Department of Energy to complete our data analysis which we will continue to present and publish. In addition, our Data Science Research earned a Google.org Grant funding of $100,000.
Our Research Team developed an Inclusive Community Solar GitHub page, researched 2 op-eds, and attended the Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference (BECC) in Washington, D.C. to discuss research findings. Our research team’s BECC presentation shared critical research that proves we need policy to push solar developers to include all income levels equitably and co-design these key programs with communities.

 

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We revolutionize the energy system by centering climate-impacted communities through clean energy projects, policy advocacy, and education.

ABOUT US
$ 0
for clean energy project development led by and for communities in Buffalo, NY and Boston, MA
$ 0
For Inclusive Community Solar Research
2014
Always Led by Women of Color
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