Are You Solar-Curious?
It probably comes as no surprise that REVERB is a major advocate for solar energy—it’s clean, it’s cheap, it’s infinitely renewable, and it’s even capable of powering major festival stages! What’s not to love?
The music industry is starting to take note. Billie Eilish, South By South West, and Luck Reunion all powered stages with solar and intelligent battery power as part of REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project, our campaign to directly eliminate carbon emissions created by the music industry.
Of course, not all of us get the chance to grace a festival stage. But you don’t have to be a rock star to make a positive impact with solar power! Just ask our friend Phil Coupe, co-founder of ReVision Energy.
We sat down with Phil to learn about how attainable solar power has become, solar’s encouraging evolution over the last 20 years, and more. And because we’re REVERB, we had to ask what Phil’s been listening to these days—and put together a solar-inspired playlist!
Check out our conversation:
HELLO! CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND GIVE SOME BACKGROUND ON REVISION ENERGY?
My name is Phil Coupe and I grew up in southern Maine working as a lobsterman and micro-entrepreneur (lawncare and worm digging businesses) before attending Boston College, where I earned a journalism degree. After a brief career as a reporter, I gravitated toward startups and socially responsible business practices, eventually leading to my current role as co-founder of ReVision Energy.
We started the company to address the harsh environmental impacts of 8 billion people burning fossil fuels in a closed atmosphere, and to try and create a sustainable business model as an antidote to traditional winner-take-all capitalist models. So we became a 100% employee-owned company (an ESOP) to more equitably share the success of the company with all the people creating that success. We also became a Certified B Corp, which is an independent verification proving that we are intentionally trying to wield our business as a force for good in the world.
Our strategy of placing people, communities, and the natural environment as the core focus of ReVision Energy has helped us become the #1 ranked solar company in New England by Solar Power World magazine. Our mission is to make life better by building our just and equitable electric future. We are advancing our mission by designing and installing high quality clean energy systems (solar, battery storage, heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers), by taking awesome care of every client and co-owner and the biosphere we all share, and by working for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion internally and externally at ReVision Energy.
WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU WITNESSED OVER THE 20 YEARS YOU’VE BEEN IN BUSINESS?
When we started out in 2003, installing solar hot water systems was about 95% of the work we did because back then, solar electric systems (photovoltaic) were too expensive for most clients. But over the past 20 years, the cost of solar electric systems has plummeted nearly 90% and today, solar electricity is the cheapest form of energy ever known to humankind. This drastic change in the cost-effectiveness of solar electric systems means that today, our business is 80% solar electric system installations and 20% installations of electric appliances that can be powered by solar to eliminate fossil fuel combustion (heat pumps, EV chargers, and battery storage). As clean technology has progressed and dropped in cost over the past two decades, I have seen a meteoric acceleration of the clean energy transition, such that today, 87 countries have passed the 5% clean energy penetration ‘tipping point’ into widespread adoption.
From my front row seat in the renewable energy industry I can confidently say that for the first time in 20 years, it’s now apparent that we have the tools to eventually abandon fossil fuels.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PEOPLE FOR WHOM SOLAR FEELS OUT OF REACH? WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT EVERYONE CAN SUPPORT AND UTILIZE SOLAR OPTIONS?
If you can afford to buy a car, there’s a strong likelihood you can afford solar. I say this because most people take out a loan to buy a car, which results in a monthly loan payment, ongoing fuel payments, repair costs and oil changes, for as long as you own the car. Conversely, if you take out a loan for a solar array your monthly electric costs drop to zero because the monthly utility savings generated by the solar array are usually enough to offset the monthly loan payment, making the investment ‘cash flow neutral.’
This was not the case 10 years ago, but now that the cost of the technology has dropped so much it is much more accessible to people on the lower end of the income spectrum. The emergence of ‘community solar farms’ has also increased solar affordability. Instead of having an array on one’s roof, consumers in some parts of the country can now opt to buy a share in a remote community solar farm, or to subscribe to a community solar aggregator. Today, in some states, there are zero-up-front cost options for people to utilize solar, which is helping to reduce barriers to access.
CAN YOU SHARE SOME ADVICE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ‘SOLAR-CURIOUS’?
The first piece of advice is to research solar companies in your area to find an outfit that is trustworthy, experienced, and stands behind their work. Folks can begin that process by visiting Amicus Solar which is a nationwide co-op of about 100 high–quality, values-driven solar companies across the U.S. Their website lists the best solar companies in each state, making it relatively easy to find a reputable outfit. If you know someone who has already invested in a solar energy system, I’d recommend contacting them to ask who they used and whether they had a good experience. While there are many excellent solar companies out there today, it’s also true that there are too many posers looking to make a quick buck through shoddy installations and poor service.
BEYOND THE POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER BENEFITS OF GOING SOLAR?
Did you know that if we were able to capture all the sunshine that falls on the earth in one hour, it would be enough energy to power global demand for a year? Put another way, 18 days’ worth of sunshine striking earth is equal to all the energy stored in our remaining underground reserves of coal, oil, and gas:
The colossal abundance of clean, renewable solar energy, combined with the rise of cost-effective battery storage and electric appliances, means that today people can achieve true energy independence. For example, if you have a solar array on your roof and an electric vehicle like a Ford F-150 Lightning truck, you can make your own electricity when the sun is shining and store it in the truck’s battery pack to use for transportation, or to use for backup power if the utility grid goes down. You can also use rooftop solar electricity to power hyper-efficient air source heat pumps for year-round zero emission heating and cooling.
Solar energy also enhances community resilience in the face of worsening storms. When Hurricane Ian slammed into the west coast of Florida in 2022 and caused widespread devastation, folks living at solar-powered Babcock Ranch didn’t even notice their lights flicker, despite being directly in the Hurricane’s path. This was an incredible example of the resilience of solar energy combined with battery storage, compared to the vulnerability of traditional centralized fossil fuel energy systems.
ARE THERE ANY PARTICULARLY MEANINGFUL SOLAR PROJECTS YOU’VE DONE THAT STAND OUT IN YOUR MIND?
The most meaningful solar projects we have installed have been for social service agencies like Good Shepherd Food Bank, Midcoast Hunger Prevention Prevention Program, Preble Street, and Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter because the financial savings from solar are helping these nonprofits better serve the neediest communities.
In 2023, we finally completed a rooftop solar array on the Pavilion at Thompson’s Point in Portland, Maine, which is directly next to their main performance stage. Roughly 80,000 cars per day drive by the Pavilion solar array on a nearby highway, which is a great way to raise consciousness about the viability of solar:
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING THE SOLAR MOVEMENT?
Over the past 50 years, the fossil fuel industry has metastasized into a multi-trillion-dollar colossus that is the most powerful entity on earth, both politically and financially. Because it wants to protect its dominant status quo, the fossil fuel industry is spending enormous amounts of money to sow doubt, confusion, and chaos in the minds of consumers about the viability of clean energy and about whether global warming is really a problem. These relentless disinformation campaigns against renewable energy, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and climate change are the biggest challenge facing the solar movement.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED OR HOPEFUL ABOUT IN THE FUTURE OF SOLAR?
“Hope is a stance, not an assessment.” These are the words of Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit focused on accelerating the clean energy transition. I think Lovins’ statement is insightful because there is an overwhelming amount of bad news in today’s world that could rationally cause people to feel hopeless. Lovins is telling us that hope is a choice, and I think he is signaling that humankind has prevailed over thousands of years because people have chosen hope over despair.
I’m hopeful and excited about the future of solar because the technology continues to improve, the price continues to decline, and more and more people are adopting solar at a faster and faster clip as time goes by. We now know that it’s possible to live well and comfortably without burning fossil fuels because renewable energy, storage and clean technology have become viable alternatives to coal, oil and gas and the internal combustion engine.
AND LASTLY, WE HAVE TO ASK—WE KNOW MUSIC IS A BIG PART OF REVISION ENERGY. SO WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO THESE DAYS?
So glad you asked! Can’t get enough of The Black Keys, Traffic, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and also have lately been enjoying The National, St. Vincent, and Dua Lipa.