The 51st StateLogo Design Contest

Introducing... the 51st State
A new way to think about solar.

Solar is gaining momentum as a source of electric power in the U.S. as prices have fallen and interest has grown. Solar is the first electric generating resource that is practical - and increasingly affordable - for utility customers to add to their homes and businesses to meet part of their needs for electricity.
But solar at the customer level is disruptive to the existing electricity business. Rules for accommodating solar vary state by state and even utility by utility. There is some compelling evidence that some of the current incentives for selling solar back to the utility create an economic imbalance, with non-solar customers subsidizing solar customers. Others feel that the value of solar, its full suite of benefits to the grid, are currently undervalued. This disruptive nature of solar is leading to conflicts between utilities and solar customers, creating ill-will and potentially slowing the growth of solar.

We are launching the 51st State campaign to help electric utilities embrace solar, end the divisiveness of the 'winners vs. losers' scenarios, and see the benefits of solar shared widely by all electricity customers. To encourage fresh thinking about how solar can become a "grid-friendly" energy resource

In the 51st state, there are no existing energy market rules or designs, no existing rate structures. The 51st state presents a clean slate for new ideas about growing solar. We are asking people to imagine how they might design the "perfect" marketplace for solar in our 51st state, and share those ideas through this campaign.