We Care Solar Education

Collective action. Community transformation.

We’re proud to recognize Summit Ridge Energy as the third partner in this powerhouse trio in launching our first-ever Chicago-based Solar Solutionaries cohort, joining a group of mission-aligned funders committed to expanding opportunity through education.

For Summit Ridge Energy, investing in community-centered programs isn’t an add-on, it’s core to who they are. Their support reflects a shared belief that lasting change happens through collaboration, when partners come together to serve communities and expand access to opportunity.

Through Solar Solutionaries, Chicago students will design, build, and test real solar-electric systems right in their classrooms, transforming curiosity into confidence. Students develop tangible STEM skills while beginning to see themselves as innovators, problem-solvers, and future leaders in a growing clean energy economy.

Summit Ridge Energy is especially inspired by the program’s global connection, linking Chicago classrooms to schools and health facilities in energy-scarce communities around the world. It’s a powerful reminder that reliable energy improves education, strengthens safety, and enhances quality of life both locally and globally.

We are deeply grateful for Summit Ridge Energy’s collaboration in bringing Solar Solutionaries to Chicago and helping build a more inclusive, community-centered clean energy future.

Powering possibility.

We’re proud to recognize our second partner, Dimension Energy!

For Dimension Energy, access to great careers in clean energy begins early. It starts with strong STEM education, real-world exposure to solar technology, and awareness of what community solar can mean for neighborhoods and families. That’s why they invest in Solar Solutionaries, empowering some of the most powerful advocates in that journey: teachers.

By training and equipping educators with hands-on, standards-aligned solar curriculum, the program creates sustainable, long-term impact. Students don’t just learn about renewable energy, they wire panels, test systems, and experience that unforgettable “lightbulb” moment when their work produces real power. In that moment, solar becomes tangible. Possibility becomes personal.

Dimension Energy’s support is also deeply aligned with Illinois’ broader clean energy landscape. After nearly two years of involvement in the CEJA-funded workforce development ecosystem, they are committed to preparing middle and high school students to thrive in clean energy training programs, apprenticeships, and degree pathways. Building the workforce of tomorrow starting in classrooms today.

In Chicago, that commitment continues, from connecting CPS teachers and students to future solar career pathways and internships, to supporting broader engagement efforts tied to community solar development on the West Side.

We are grateful for Dimension Energy’s investment in possibility, not just powering projects, but powering people.

If you missed it last week, we announced the winners of our inaugural Solar Solutionaries Challenge!

Entries came from across the US, including California, Minnesota, Illinois, and Florida.

The range of projects included individual students addressing problems in their literal backyards to groups trying to improve studying conditions at their school.

You can read more about our winners and other submissions by viewing our newsletter here: https://conta.cc/3S8sifj

Leadership sparks momentum.

When We Care Solar set a goal to launch our first Chicago-based Solar Solutionaries cohort, we brought the idea to an incredible partner: Cultivate Power.

Their response? Not only did they step forward as our very first funder, they helped activate the broader clean energy ecosystem to bring others alongside them.

We are proud to recognize Cultivate Power as the founding partner of our inaugural Chicago Solar Solutionaries cohort. Their early investment made this launch possible and opened the door to additional partnerships that will expand the program’s reach across 17 Chicago Public schools.

For Cultivate Power, supporting Solar Solutionaries is more than philanthropy, it’s a direct investment in teachers and students in the communities near their solar projects. By equipping educators with high-quality, hands-on STEM curriculum, they are helping students build real-world understanding of solar technology while expanding access to meaningful educational opportunities.

Community engagement is central to Cultivate Power’s mission. Beyond delivering clean energy and increasing local tax revenue, Cultivate actively invests in workforce development training for formerly incarcerated individuals, fire protection districts, Future Farmers of America chapters, local scholarship funds, and more. Through Solar Solutionaries, Cultivate is deepening that commitment — connecting clean energy development with lasting educational impact.

We are deeply grateful for their leadership, vision, and belief in what’s possible when industry and education come together to serve communities.

In a PG&E service area? Want to join our Solar Solutionaries® Program?

With funding support from Pacific Gas and Electric Company and in partnership with The NEED Project, We Share Solar is offering middle and high school educators the chance to join the Solar Suitcase Program at no cost.

Students will explore the science of solar electricity, innovation, and global impact through engaging hands-on learning.

Learn more here:https://wesharesolar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Winters-We-Share-Solar-PGE-Recruitment-2026.pdf

This month in Kenya and Uganda, we partnered with Women In Sustainable Energy And Entrepreneurship Coop Society Ltd, +254 Solar, Women in Renewable Energy Association Uganda - WREA, and more to prepare educators to lead hands-on Solar Solutionaries workshops!

At a workshop in Kenya, 27 students jumped right in, curious, engaged, and eager to learn.

Now, they’re ready to bring solar STEM learning to their communities. 🌍

At Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy, teachers braved the cold to generate solar energy and build confidence using multimeters to measure voltage and current.

A teacher reflected on how valuable it was to connect with other middle school science educators through our program.

Bringing solar into the classroom connects STEM learning to real-world impact—and inspires future solar leaders.