Background
Amid a US solar boom, driven by lower costs and tax credits, many landowners like farmers and tribal members are missing out on profitable, eco-friendly solar projects due to high expert fees and the struggle to find reliable partners. Empower Sun, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s American Made Network*, offers community landowners a free, automated solution for assessing solar viability and investment returns. Our website simplifies solar development, and our transparent marketplace connects landowners with vetted solar advisers, developers, and financiers.
Mission
Our mission is to empower landowners in underserved communities and regions to profit from solar energy projects they own and control.
Our Purpose
We are a team of renewable energy experts and technology entrepreneurs, brought together by a shared vision of building technology that empowers underserved communities and protects our environment. We believe technology can level the playing field and enable a more equitable renewable energy boom, where community landowners own and control their development.
The concept for Empower Sun came from Monique Dyers’ firsthand experiences with community landowners who were overwhelmed by the technical and financial barriers to solar development. Her pro bono assistance to these landowners sparked the vision for a scalable solution that would be available to everyone, leading to the formation of this dedicated team
Team
Monique Dyers
Ashvath Narayanan
Daragh Brangan
*About the American-Made Solar Prize:
The American-Made Solar Prize is a multi-million-dollar prize competition designed to energize U.S. solar innovation through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country. The American-Made Solar Prize is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office and directed and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.