WASHINGTON — The Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) today announced the recipients of its 2025 Community Solar Champion Awards, recognizing legislators, regulators, and advocates who have shown exceptional leadership in expanding access to affordable, reliable, and locally generated energy.
This year’s honorees span the political spectrum and the country—from Iowa and Montana to New Jersey and California—demonstrating the strong, bipartisan momentum behind community solar and distributed energy. Each champion played a vital role in shaping policy that lowers energy bills, strengthens grid reliability, and empowers consumers and businesses with more energy choices.
“Each of these champions has helped move us closer to an energy system that works for everyone—one that is affordable, reliable, and built close to where power is needed most,” said Jeff Cramer, CEO and President of the CCSA. “Their leadership shows what’s possible when policy, innovation, and persistence come together to deliver real results for families, businesses, and communities.”
California
State Senator Anna Caballero (D–CA) was recognized as a champion for her long-standing leadership on community solar and storage. A previous Community Solar Award winner, she remains one of California’s strongest advocates for distributed generation. In the final days of session, she took the bold step of voicing support for community solar and storage on the Senate floor—demonstrating her continued commitment to expanding clean energy access across the Central Valley and beyond.
Feby Boediarto, Energy Justice Manager at the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) for her leadership in keeping CEJA engaged on community solar while advancing broader clean energy and environmental justice goals. A former employee of a community choice aggregator (CCA), Feby has played a key role in bridging communication between advocacy, community, and energy sectors to elevate the importance of equitable access to distributed clean energy.
Jody London, Sustainability Coordinator for Contra Costa County, for making Contra Costa the first county in the nation to explicitly include community solar in both its Climate Action & Adaptation Plan and General Plan. Her work has set a new local standard for integrating distributed energy solutions into long-term land use and climate planning.
Iowa
Representative Hans C. Wilz (R–IA) was recognized as a champion for his leadership in advancing community solar legislation in Iowa. He played a key role in rapidly building support among his colleagues to make market-driven community solar a viable policy in the state, bridging partisan divides and emphasizing the program’s benefits for farmers, small businesses, and ratepayers. His willingness to champion innovative energy policy in any forum has helped position Iowa as a state ready to lead on affordable, locally generated power.
Illinois
Scott Vogt, Vice President of Strategy, Energy Policy, and Revenue Initiatives at ComEd, was recognized for advancing practical utility solutions that integrate community solar into the grid. From improving interconnection to refining crediting and billing, Vogt’s work has made community solar both scalable and dependable, setting a new standard for public-private collaboration.
Minnesota
Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D–MN) was honored as a champion for her decade-long leadership in community solar. As the original author of Minnesota’s 2013 enabling legislation and a key defender of the program, Hortman successfully fought off a 2025 effort to sunset community solar in the state. Her commitment has ensured Minnesota remains one of the country’s most mature and successful markets for distributed solar, supporting local jobs and long-term affordability. We honor her memory posthumously along with Minnesotans across the state.
Montana
Senator Chris Pope (D–MT) for his leadership in passing the widely bipartisan Solar Shares Act, Montana’s first-ever community solar legislation. Working together across party lines, he helped guide the bill through passage in both chambers, which would have opened the door for new investment in rural and urban clean energy projects alike. Unfortunately, the bill was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Gianforte, but the Montana Legislature’s efforts have positioned Montana as a potential national model for pragmatic, bipartisan clean energy policy.
Massachusetts
Governor Maura Healey (D–MA) received special recognition for her administration’s leadership in expanding the state’s SMART program by 900 megawatts, setting the stage for Massachusetts to continue leading on clean, distributed energy. Under her direction, Massachusetts has reinforced its position as a policy leader in ensuring that clean energy is both accessible and affordable.
New Jersey
Senator Vin Gopal (D–NJ), Senator John F. McKeon (D–NJ), Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul (D–NJ), Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (D–NJ), and Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D–NJ) were honored for their legislative leadership on S4530/A4530, which expands the state’s community solar program by an unprecedented 3,000 megawatts. Their work ensures that with the state’s new 3-gigawatt expansion, more than 500,000 New Jersey households will benefit from lower bills and clean, reliable local energy.
Christine Guhl-Sadovy, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, received the champion award for her steady leadership in transforming New Jersey’s pilot community solar initiative into a permanent statewide program that pairs affordability with grid modernization.
Utah
U.S. Senator John Curtis (R–UT) was honored as a federal legislative champion for his pragmatic, pro-innovation approach to clean energy policy. As founder of the Conservative Climate Caucus, Sen. Curtis has been a consistent defender of the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and a leading advocate for market-driven solutions that enhance U.S. energy independence, affordability, and innovation.
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About CCSA
CCSA is a national trade association representing over 125 community solar developers, businesses, and nonprofits. Together, we are building the electric grid of the future where every customer has the freedom to support the generation of clean, local solar energy to power their lives. Through legislative and regulatory advocacy, and the support of a diverse coalition — including advocates for competition, clean energy, ratepayers, landowners, farmers, and environmental justice — we enable policies that unlock the potential of distributed energy resources, starting with community solar. For more information, visit https://www.communitysolaraccess.org and follow the group on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Youtube.
