About Energy Allies

Energy Allies is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to revolutionizing energy by ensuring the communities most impacted by climate change lead local clean energy solutions.

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About Energy Allies

Founded in 2014 by Steph Speirs and Sandhya Murali, Energy Allies is driven by a simple yet powerful belief: every household deserves access to affordable clean energy. Guided by Executive Director Yesenia Rivera and a board majority of women of color, we’re leading a revolution in energy to bring about thriving, resilient, and energy-independent homes for all. Our brand was developed by a team of designers at Artists for Humanity a Boston-based non-profit that employs youth in art and design.

Our Values

We must do what’s right, not what is easy, to build trust and center communities. We are rebuilding the current extractive energy system by centering people in climate-impacted communities. We hold ourselves and each other accountable to the people we serve, not to profit. Energy Allies is committed to prioritizing diverse perspectives in a just transition to clean energy.

A research-driven approach to problem-solving through piloting new solutions. Creativity, curiosity, and adaptability are key to advocating for climate, economic, and racial justice. Energy Allies pushes the boundaries of the status quo by co-designing innovative solutions that cultivate access and accountability in the energy system.

An inclusive, accountable environment that facilitates respect, compassion, empathy, and gratitude across academia, clean energy development & finance, community organizing and policy. Us, all, our loved ones, our neighbors, a localization of humanity. Energy Allies connects with our communities to understand and reduce barriers in the energy system by co-designing clean energy solutions that enhance people's power to break the reliance on fossil fuels.

When energy is not determined by race, education, or economic status. Energy Allies increases transparency to build a movement with the power to dismantle the authority and exploitation of the extractive energy system through disseminating information to climate-impacted communities.

Energy justice is impossible to achieve without confronting racial injustice. Energy Allies believes in a just transition led by climate-impacted communities provided with the knowledge and tools to succeed.

Our Mission

We revolutionize energy by working with communities most impacted by climate change to ensure they lead local clean energy solutions. 

Our Vision

Our dream is for everyone to live in thriving, resilient and energy-independent homes. We believe climate-impacted communities have the power and knowledge to lead our equitable clean energy transition. 

How?

Energy Allies catalyzes community-led energy projects through community solar policy and energy justice educational resources in climate-impacted communities.

To achieve this, we utilize a collective group called the Community Advisory Board (CAB), comprising paid community members and organization representatives. The CAB plays an active role in identifying priorities and voting on local energy solutions, actively participating in the design, development, and implementation of our projects. In Boston, we established our first CAB to ensure our community-led solar projects are driven by and serve community members. In Buffalo, we collaborate with PUSH Buffalo to form a CAB and co-design an energy project that generates intergenerational wealth for climate-impacted communities. Through partnerships with community members, local organizations, and property owners, we build coalitions to improve access to clean energy. Together, we identify suitable locations for clean energy projects and develop programs to democratize the energy system for community members.

Why?

Community-led energy is an innovative solution to our unreliable, expensive, and dangerous energy grid.

The impact of racist, discriminatory, and prejudicial government policies is still evident today, perpetuating racial disparities in our society. These policies have created social, economic, climate, and health burdens that disproportionately affect climate-impacted communities.

 

While Federal and State governments have made commitments to achieve net-zero emissions in the future, it is crucial to have a community-led energy justice movement. Without it, we risk adopting energy methods that will only worsen the cycle of high energy burdens in these communities.

 

For instance, despite significant electrification efforts in Massachusetts, access to clean energy and related programs is far from equitable. Infrastructure projects have been implemented without community input, and clean energy initiatives have not adequately addressed the needs of climate-impacted communities. Additionally, historical practices of discrimination and exploitation have discouraged many from advocating for a better system. Efforts to ensure equitable access to clean energy have been poorly administered, further exacerbating the disparities.

Our work is grounded in research.

Since our inception, Energy Allies has been at the forefront of research and innovation in income-eligible community solar access. Our partnership with the Department of Energy, MIT, and Stanford has led to the development of EnergyScore, a more accurate predictor of defaults that is inclusive of all households. Our research, conducted in collaboration with the Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), highlights the importance of policy in promoting equitable inclusion of all income levels and involving communities in designing local energy solutions. We believe that community-led energy is an innovative solution to our unreliable, expensive, and dangerous energy grid. Energy Allies actively supports community-led energy projects through community solar policy and energy justice educational resources in climate-impacted communities.

Our Team

Our Funders