Vote Solar's 2014 Annual Report. Vote Solar is a grassroots nonprofit organization working to foster economic opportunity, increase energy independence and fight climate change by making solar a mainstream energy resource.

1. 2014
ANNUAL REPORT

2. When you think of the energy challenges facing the world, what gives
you hope? For me, it’s this . . .
In 2014, a third of the new power generation built in the US was solar.
The solar-cheaper-than-coal club has a lot of new members. Georgia,
Minnesota, Idaho, Utah, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, New Mexico,
Arizona and California are all building massive amounts of solar at
prices cheaper than dirty fossil.
There’s a rooftop revolution underway in New York. We put 5 years
into a campaign, and it paid off with a commitment to ten times more
solar in the state and a process to reform the electricity landscape with
customer-driven renewables at the center. And we’re not stopping
there. The state’s now making moves to give renters and millions of
other New Yorkers the opportunity to participate in and benefit from
the solar economy.
In 2014, nearly $1 billion flowed into PACE financing programs that are helping families and businesses make
clean energy upgrades and save on their bills. That’s billion with a ‘b.’ And 2015 is looking even better. This
also after years of hard work — passing enabling legislation in states around the country, writing best-practice
policy guides, battling with the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Some utilities and the Edison Electric Institute took their best shot at squashing rooftop solar by rolling back
net metering and changing rates to make solar a bad deal for customers. But those big-money attacks fell flat
against the massive outcry from the people like you who support solar. Discriminatory solar fees were defeated
in Idaho, Louisiana and Utah. Vermont, New York and Massachusetts all raised their net metering caps to allow
more solar participation. And South Carolina just joined the 43 other states that offer residents the ability to get
fair credit for rooftop solar through net metering. This is the existential battleground for the future of energy in
this country, and so far solar is winning.
Bottom line, it’s not just promise that gives us hope — it’s progress. It’s real steel in the ground, silicon on the
roof, and sunshine powering our lives.
How does progress happen?
Solar falls free from the sky, but policy doesn’t. Vote Solar now has 16 staff around the country, dedicated and
working day (and too many nights) to bring solar into the mainstream. In 2014 we led solar campaigns in 21
states, sweated interventions in 31 regulatory dockets, worked on 10 legislative campaigns, and fought
discriminatory solar fees in 11 rate cases and utility proceedings. Members like you delivered 108,677
messages to policymakers in support of pro-solar policies. 2,575 homeowners participated in our GroupEnergy
bulk solar programs, which made it easier and 20% cheaper for communities to go solar. We hired new staff in
four states: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Florida. We biked 300 miles from NY to DC to raise
money for our work, and threw two Equinox parties that put smiles on the faces of 1,100 revelers.
Vote Solar was founded on a simple strategy: we build scale by making solar cheaper and more accessible.
And it’s working. We thank the many donors, partners and supporters who are helping us succeed.
Sincerely,
Adam Browning
Co-founder and Executive Director
LETTER FROM
THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR

3. 1
WHO WE ARE
Vote Solar is a non-profit grassroots
organization working to foster
economic opportunity, promote
energy independence and fight
climate change by making solar a
mainstream energy resource across
the United States.
WHY WE DO IT
Whether it’s the challenges of
global climate change, energy
security or economic development -
reliable, homegrown solar energy is
ready to be a big solution. Solar is
our fastest growing electricity
source, but it still accounts for a
mere 1% of our nation’s overall
energy portfolio. The problem is not
technology; the solar we have today
works great and is cost-
competitive. The real problem is
policies and regulations that create
unnecessary costs and confusion
for families, towns, schools,
businesses and many others
looking to go solar. We work to
overcome those hurdles for both
distributed and large-scale solar
power.
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HOW WE WORK
We work with policymakers:
Solar policy is complex and changing all the time. We help regulators
and legislators understand their policy options, quantify the costs and
benefits, draft legislation, and implement the programs that are going
to most effectively support a solar market that benefits individuals,
businesses, and communities alike.
We work with other advocates:
We make the most of our own limited resources and those of our
skilled advocacy peers by collaborating wherever possible. Whether
it’s sharing our deep policy design expertise or highlighting the best
practices of others, we provide the tools, guidance and support
needed to help others make a difference in their own communities and
nationwide.
We work with people:
We are a grassroots organization with approximately 60,000 members
in all 50 states. We help our members stay informed about the latest in
solar policy through emails, blog posts, social media, webinars and
strategic press outreach. We mobilize our supporters and give them
easy tools to make their voices heard.
We commit for the long-term:
Each solar law and program successfully enacted requires sustained
attention to make sure it is implemented correctly, operating
effectively, protected from opposing interests, and amended when
necessary. We build long-term partnerships and maintain watchdog
vigilance to ensure positive progress is made.

4. KEY ISSUES
Net Energy Metering and Electricity Rate Design: Net metering
ensures that solar customers receive fair credit on their utility bills for
the valuable excess clean power they occasionally deliver to the grid.
This crediting arrangement combined with the way that utility rates are
structured is what makes the switch from utility-generated fossil grid
power to homegrown solar power an economic possibility for many
Americans. Utilities are increasingly using rate cases and other
regulatory proceedings to reduce net metering credit, impose new
discriminatory fees, and otherwise make solar a poor investment for
their customers, all in the interest of protecting their bottom-line.
Renewable Procurement and Market-building Incentives: Strong
and healthy solar markets are those that provide a diverse range of
opportunities to both residential customers and utility-scale developers.
Rules that require utilities to increase the amount of renewable energy
on the grid coupled with procurement programs that facilitate market
development can be strong tools for achieving scale in new and
established markets alike. Well-designed incentive programs can also
jump-start a healthy retail market, enabling homes, schools and
businesses to go solar, and prompting the local industry to grow toward
an incentive-free marketplace.
Financing Solutions: Innovative financing options, including third-
party financing, leasing, and PACE, have been a primary driver of
consumer solar adoption in many states. Vote Solar works to ensure
customers have access to the full suite of solar energy financing options
that help reduce upfront costs and make solar more accessible.
Soft Costs: The costs of solar hardware, such as the solar panels
themselves, have plummeted in the past half-decade. But non-
hardware “soft costs” have not fallen apace, which makes this an area
that’s ripe for continued solar cost reduction. Our GroupEnergy
program aims to tackle customer acquisition soft costs by helping
consumers pool their purchasing power. We also work to streamline
permitting practices to reduce soft costs and red tape at the local level.
Grid Integration: In places with the high solar penetration, grid
operators are sounding the alarm on the challenges of integrating
increasing amounts of this variable energy resource. Our challenge is to
re-design regulatory regimes to effectively manage distributed and
variable generation while minimizing costs and maximizing
environmental benefits.
Shared Solar: Many consumers – notably renters and those with
shaded roofs - face technical barriers to going solar through the
traditional panels-on-your-roof approach. We work to advance
innovative Shared Renewables programs that help connect these
consumers with savings from an offsite solar energy system located
somewhere else in their community.

5. 1
CAMPAIGN
HIGHLIGHTS:
Defending Rooftop Solar Rights
For the first time in a century, there’s
real business model innovation
happening in the electricity sector. For
generations we have depended on a
centralized, often monopoly-based
utility model, but now affordable solar
and other clean technologies are
putting consumers in control like never
before. This is exciting, game-changing
stuff! But rather than seizing opportunity
and finding ways to work with their
customers to meet solar demand, most
utilities are digging in their heels against
change – turning to regulation and law
to try to stem the tide. Net metering and
rate design are the battlegrounds of this
fight between traditional utilities and a
cleaner, more participatory approach to
energy - and Vote Solar is committed to
engaging at the front lines. In 2014 we
worked to coordinate activities and
share resources with partners nationally
to effectively combat the utility
onslaught. Our team also engaged
directly in a number of key state fights,
leading public campaigns or providing
the technical expertise needed to win.
Despite the number and scale of these
utility attacks, states generally upheld
and in some cases strengthened the
pillars of consumer clean energy
investment over the past year. This
success was confirmed in Freeing the
Grid 2014, a report card to all 50 states
on net metering and interconnection
procedures that we produced in
partnership with the Interstate
Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
While this fight is far from over, it’s
heartening to see regulators nationwide
– in red states and blue – stand strong
for the energy choice and the solar
progress that an overwhelming majority
of Americans want.
With more solar installed than any other
state, California is at the forefront of our
rooftop revolution. In 2014 regulators
began a multi-year process of
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implementing AB 327, a utility and
rate reform law that will determine
the long-term future of net metering
in the state. As a first step, the
Public Utilities Commission set out
to decide how long existing solar
customers can expect to have
access to net metering as its known
today. Considering that these
homes, schools and businesses
made significant multi-decade
investments in solar expecting the
state would not change the rules on
them mid-stream, Vote Solar argued
that it’s only fair that their net
metering benefits should remain in
place for just as long. With utilities
pushing for as little as 6 years, we
intervened in the regulatory process
and rallied grassroots power to
deliver over 53,000 signatures in
support of long-term net metering
certainty. Ultimately, the CPUC
decided to uphold net metering for
existing customers for 20 years from
the year they go solar - a win for
solar certainty! Along with the
Commission, we then turned our
attention to what comes next after
the current net metering program
ends. We continue to make the case
for a program that enables California
energy customers to generate their
own power for their own use and
that fairly compensates them for any
valuable solar energy they deliver to
the grid for others to use.
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Colorado’s largest utility, Xcel
Energy, took aim at net metering as
part of its Renewable Energy
Standard Compliance Plan docket.
Thanks to the
tremendous outpouring of public
solar support that Vote Solar helped
organize, in early 2014 the Public
Utility Commission agreed to put
Xcel’s attacks on hold and conduct
a new, separate process to take a
good look at this critically important
solar program. We turned our
attention to ensuring that the new
PUC process is fair, open and
transparent. We participated in these
ongoing PUC-led workshops,
providing technical input and
ensuring that pro-solar voices as
diverse as the local solar industry,
environmental groups, the faith
community and the NAACP were
represented. The fight for Colorado’s
energy future is not over yet, but we
are proud of the success that Vote
Solar and our partners have
achieved to date.
With the Commonwealth quickly
approaching its net metering cap,
we helped encourage
Massachusetts policymakers to raise
the cap and keep solar working for
the state. State lawmakers decided
to provide short term-relief – raising
the caps from 3 to 5 percent for local
governments and from 3 to 4
percent for commercial installations
– and establish a stakeholder
process for charting long-term
program design. In an effort to make
this process inclusive and effective,
Vote Solar and our key partners
formed the “Mass Solar Coalition.”
The group will work with the state’s
new Net Metering and Solar Task
Force to make recommendations for
the future of net metering and solar
policy in Massachusetts.
Amid numerous unfounded claims
about the costs of net metering, the
Public Utilities Commission of
Nevada found that rooftop solar
makes
sense – and cents – in the
sun-drenched state. The PUCN
commissioned a study that found

6. 4
that net metered systems installed
through 2016 will deliver $36 million in
net benefits to ratepayers. We worked
to educate stakeholders, policymakers
and the public on the cost-saving
benefits of net metering. We garnered
more than 4,300 signatures and turned
out dozens of Nevadans to rally for the
program and its many benefits. With the
state now approaching its current cap,
this campaign provided important
groundwork for future net metering
progress.
It might come as a surprise to some,
but Utah has one of the strongest net
metering programs in the country.
However, the state’s major utility, Rocky
Mountain Power, aimed to make solar a
bad deal for its customers with a
discriminatory new solar fee. Vote Solar provided expert testimony against this fee proposal in the RMP rate case. Our
technical input complimented the strong local grassroots and press efforts to oppose the unfounded “solar tax.” In a
resounding win for solar self-determination, the Commission rejected RMP’s solar fee.
State leadership has made building a more resilient, more distributed clean energy system a clear priority for New York.
In order to meet the Empire State’s impressive solar goals, state regulators raised the net metering cap from 3 percent
to 6 percent. Vote Solar supported this doubling of net metering access through a joint petition we submitted to the
Commission earlier in 2014. Bravo to the Empire State!
Expanding Solar Access to Renters and Others
At Vote Solar we believe that the strongest solar market is one that allows diverse participation. For this reason, we are
particularly exited about opportunities to help entirely new categories of consumers – renters, low-income families and
others plug into the sun with innovative shared renewables programs.
In 2014, we made strong progress toward establishing shared
renewables programs in both New York and Connecticut. We provided
policymaker guidance on strong design for this relatively new concept.
And in order to build the support needed to pass these programs, we
coupled that policymaker education with grassroots and press activities.
We put a particular focus on engaging the stakeholders – including low-
income and community groups – for whom the traditional panels-on-
your roof solar model just doesn’t work.
Vote Solar, along with our hardworking and diverse coalition, drummed
up nearly 10,000 signatures in support of the new programs and also
garnered some impressive media coverage, including the New York
Times. Key influencers, including actor and activist Mark Ruffalo, helped amplify our campaign and further shine light
on the states’ shared renewables opportunity. We’re looking forward to building on this momentum to see these
programs across the finish line in the coming year.
In California, we worked diligently at the CPUC to implement SB 43, which authorizes what could be the nation’s
largest shared renewables program (up to 600 MW by 2019). While the program holds tremendous promise for
connecting more Californians with clean energy, success is dependent on good design. Vote Solar worked to guide
strong implementation with a particular focus on ensuring that customer participants receive adequate credit on their
utility bills and a fair amount of choice over the renewable energy projects in which they can participate. The CPUC is
expected to decide on this landmark shared solar program in 2015.

7. 5
Smart Policy for Strong Solar
Markets
The state’s largest utility, Arizona
Public Service (APS) filed a proposal
at the Arizona Corporation
Commission (ACC) to eliminate the
requirement to diversify their energy
supply with small-scale solar
projects, which would have cut the
utility’s overall renewables
requirement and leave Arizona with
one of the weakest clean energy
goals in the West. We encouraged
Vote Solar members to take action
online and attend the ACC meeting,
where Commissioners unanimously
rejected APS’s proposal to eliminate
the carve-out. This was an important
win in a state that has a massive
solar resource to harness for job
creation, grid reliability and water
conservation.
Vote Solar intervened in Colorado to
defeat a flawed Solar*Connect
community solar proposal from Xcel
Energy. On the surface, the basic
concept - to provide a subscription-
based program to retail customers
that had limited or no access to
rooftop solar or community solar
gardens - was a progressive idea. In
reality, however, Xcel’s design
meant that customers would pay an
unnecessary premium, rather
receiving a bill reduction, for their
clean power. And adding insult to
consumer protection injury, it would
have also allowed Xcel to change
subscription costs at any time for
new customers. Plus the utility
sought to retain any profits from the
program for its shareholders. When
asked if Xcel would consider
allowing other, non-regulated
businesses to make similar offerings,
it declined. The Commission
ultimately rejected the
Solar*Connect plan as being anti-
competitive and falling short on
delivering ratepayer value. We hope
to see more – better – utility
proposals for supporting balanced
and vibrant solar markets and that
Commission provide thoughtful
6
guidance to encourage those ideas
and ideals.
With strong support from Governor
Cuomo, New York state regulators
approved long-term extension of the
NY-Sun Initiative this year. This
historic clean energy commitment
will result in TEN TIMES more
affordable solar up and down the
state. The expected 3,000
megawatts of new solar capacity by
2023 will be enough to power nearly
500,000 New York homes and cut
greenhouse gas emissions by 2.3
million tons annually. This bold
commitment is the result of more
than five years of blood, sweat and
tears from our team, our members,
and our strong coalition of
environmental, consumer and
business groups. Together we sent
tens of thousands of emails urging
policymakers to establish a big, bold
solar program for New York. We’ve
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channeled New York’s support for
solar through Solar Job Days from
Buffalo to Long Island, a Times
Square photo contest, and one
meme-worthy ‘solar spill’ billboard.
The plan’s long-term horizon
provides invaluable policy certainty
so that industry and consumers can
invest with confidence in the state’s
solar market over the coming years.
By keeping energy dollars invested
in New York communities, we
calculate that the program will spur
$8.3 billion dollars in local economic
activity and support 10,000 local
solar jobs. And its smart design puts
the local industry on a growth path
to provide New Yorkers with
affordable, competitive solar free of
direct state incentives. In other
words, New York is busy reminding
us that the sun does rise in the east!

8. 8
Rethinking the Grid
In order to take full advantage of the
distinct benefits of solar and other
clean technologies, we need to
rethink the way our current grid is
planned and operated.
The California PUC made it
significantly easier for energy
customers to pair a solar system
with an energy storage device.
Following a period of consumer
uncertainty, the Commission
decided to allow solar customers
with energy storage to continue to
qualify for the standard net metering
program, and to exempt these
customers from burdensome
interconnection fees, standby
charges and metering requirements.
Responding to recommendations
from Vote Solar and other parties,
the Commission also required
utilities to refund customers who
were inappropriately charged these
fees over the past year. Clearing the
way for energy storage will help
consumers bottle sunshine for times
when we need that electricity most.
Nevada’s biggest utility, NV Energy,
formally filed to join the California
Independent System Operator’s
Energy Imbalance Market (EIM). Vote
Solar has long advocated for this
regional approach to electricity
markets, which helps break down
the currently balkanized system and
allows utilities to instead share
generation resources. NV Energy’s
participation in the EIM mark forward
progress for allow utilities across the
region to avoid building expensive,
redundant infrastructure and
significantly lower the cost of
keeping the lights on with significant
new levels of solar and wind.
Building on the clean energy
momentum of programs like NY-Sun
and the Green Bank, New York
regulators upped the ante by kicking
off a major proceeding called
“Reforming the Energy Vision” (REV).
The REV aims to fundamentally
rethink how electric utilities do
9
business. The main thrust is to move
towards an energy landscape that is
increasingly decentralized with
consumers playing a more active
role in climate-friendly energy
decisions. Vote Solar is participating
in these REV proceedings to help
New York build a new system that
unleashes the full potential of an
inclusive, participatory solar
marketplace.
Helping Communities Go
Solar Together
In 2014, Vote Solar’s GroupEnergy
programs helped more than 2500
homeowners sign contracts for
nearly a megawatt of residential
solar – all at prices 15-20% below
average market installation costs. All
of these new solar customers are
real-world proof of solar progress in
their communities.
We were excited to help solar shine
brighter in the Windy City with.
Alongside a host of partners
including the City of Chicago, the
Environmental Law and Policy
Center and World Wildlife Fund, Vote
Solar launched Solar Chicago with
the goal of jumpstarting demand and
identifying barriers in this nascent
solar market. By pooling the buying
power of Chicagoland homeowners,
we were able to help deliver pricing
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that was below that of mature solar
markets (like California), amazing!
With over 2,000 participants in a
three month period, Solar Chicago
resulted in over 650 kilowatts of new
residential contracts, which is
DOUBLE what was previously
installed community-wide. The
program also helped reveal a
number of steps the city and state
can take to make it easier and more
cost-effective for consumers to go
solar in the future. Vote Solar
prepared a report for the City with
recommendations for making those
improvements.
We also launched a second round of
San Francisco’s successful
SunShares program to help some of
the City’s largest workforces come
together to go solar and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. Now
that’s what we call an employee
benefit. The impressive roster of
2014 participating employer
organizations include the City and
County of San Francisco, Arup,
Genentech, Salesforce, the San
Francisco Unified School District,
the University of California at San
Francisco, United Airlines and Virgin
America.

9. 11
Good Times for the Solar
Cause
Vote Solar is known for working
hard, and playing hard, and our
annual Equinox and new Equinox
East celebrations really raised the
roof for solar in 2014. We hosted
900 solar lovers at the Old Mint in
San Francisco, and 200 revelers at
the DUMBO Loft in Brooklyn. At the
events, we honored Solar
Champions California Governor
Brown, New York Energy Czar
Richard Kauffman, California PUC
Commissioner Mark Ferron, and
Vermont utility Green Mountain
Power’s CEO Mary Powell. And our
favorite big green superhero, Mark
Ruffalo, even joined in the fun in
Brooklyn!
In September, our Climate Ride
team pedaled 300 miles from New
York City to Washington, D.C. to
raise support and awareness for
Vote Solar and other climate causes
– and we had a ton of fun in the
process. Pedal power and solar
power: a perfect combination!
New Organization, Same
Great Work
We have come a long way since
2002, when Vote Solar was founded
after a successful San Francisco
ballot initiative to put solar on more
city rooftops. We are still as focused
as ever on turning grassroots
support into smart policies that build
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solar scale. However, thanks to
massive reductions in solar costs
and successful market growth, the
nature and scope of our work is
quite different. Today we have fifteen
staff located in six states serving
markets from coast to coast - and
we aim to grow from there. And we
are excited to say that 2014 brought
some significant organizational
changes to help us meet those
goals.
Since our founding, Vote Solar had
operated as a fiscally-sponsored
project of the Tides Center. In 2014
we successfully spun-off to form our
own stand-alone 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization. Our new standalone
status will help us continue to grow
and achieve Vote Solar’s mission.
We are exceedingly grateful for the
support of the Tides Center over
those many years and look forward
to a new era of Vote Solar.
After more than a decade with our
much-loved Golden Gate Bridge
logo, we also unveiled a new look for
Vote Solar in 2014. Our trusty
Golden Gate logo signified a bridge
to a sunnier energy future with a
strong nod to our San Francisco
roots, but it was high time for a new
logo that better reflects our
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expanded scope of work and
organizational vision.
We are honored and excited to be
serving more of this incredibly
diverse country of ours. The states
we work in today run the gamut both
in term of their policies and their
politics. For us the single important
unifying characteristic is that people
overwhelmingly want more solar
powering their homes, businesses
and communities. Our goal is to
continue to give solar supporters
nationwide a voice in energy policy
decision-making. Our new logo
represents those figurative votes for
solar.

10.
LEAN AND GREEN
Vote Solar has 15 staff in six states across the country working to build a clean
energy economy, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our donors. As a
small-but-mighty organization, we our proud of the significant impact we are
able to make with those generous donations.
DONATE
Your contribution will directly
support our continued efforts. We'll
put it to use where it's most urgently
needed in the fight for solar
progress.
Donate online at:
https://secure.votesolar.org/page/
contribute/donate
Or if you prefer to send a check,
you can mail to:
Vote Solar, 360 22nd Street, Suite
730, Oakland, CA 94612
Vote Solar is a registered 501(c)3
nonprofit organization, and all
contributions are tax-deductible.
Vote Solar's tax identification
number is 46-4396728.