In November 2025, Solar Citizens stepped onto the global stage at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, with one mission: to create a bigger, stronger, more ambitious global movement to help drive the implementation of people-powered rooftop solar backed by storage.
We had two clear goals:
(1) Champion Australia’s rooftop-solar-and-storage revolution and push our federal government to commit to doubling Australia’s rooftop solar back by storage by 2035,
(2) Build a Rooftop Solar Alliance with civil society organisations across the Asia–Pacific to scale people-led energy everywhere.
What we learnt? From government pavilions to the 70,000-strong Great People’s March, the message was unmistakable — communities everywhere want clean, local, affordable power they control.
Australia’s People-Powered Model Is Inspiring Global Action
Our first meeting was with Global Solar Council CEO Sonia Dunlop, who launched the 300 Million Solar Homes campaign at COP30 and invited Solar Citizens to help build the movement.
At the Australian Pavilion, we launched our COP30 Yellow Book — our roadmap to double Australia’s rooftop solar and storage by 2035. Sonia Dunlop joined us as a special guest speaker, and made the case clearly:
“Solar and storage will help hardworking families everywhere cut bills, gain resilience, and adapt to climate impacts.” [1]
Watch our Raise the Roof COP30 event
John Grimes captured the heart of what we’re building:
“This movement is bottom-up, unstoppable, and driven by ordinary people demanding real action.”
OpenSolar CEO Andrew Birch reinforced that this moment is bigger than energy:
“It’s a political and systems transition — from big companies controlling supply to millions of people taking power into their own hands.”
And that’s exactly what the world is eager for.
Building the Asia–Pacific Rooftop Solar Alliance
Across COP30, we met leaders from Taiwan, Japan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Uganda, Peru, the Pacific and beyond. Everywhere, the appetite was the same: Let’s work together to scale rooftop solar and storage for households and communities.
We are now formalising the Rooftop Solar Alliance, connecting civil society across the Asia–Pacific to push governments for ambitious rooftop-solar targets and smart, country-specific policies — ahead of COP31, as outlined in our Yellow Book. [2]
The momentum is real, and Solar Citizens is helping to drive it.
What We Heard: Communities Are Ready — But Barriers Remain
In Pakistan, rooftop solar has become a lifeline. As Basit Ghauri from Renewables First told us:
“Electricity prices soared, and solar became the cheapest option. Imports jumped from 2 gigawatts to 17 gigawatts. That’s people taking power into their own hands.” [3]
Watch Heidi’s interview with Basit from Pakistan
Across Africa, solar imports are surging too, but communities still face steep financing barriers and workforce shortages. Ugandan advocates described the need for skills training and political support so local households aren’t left behind.
And in Brazil, a rooftop solar revolution has been stifled to protect the interests of the bigger players in the energy market. And they don't have a Solar Citizens-like civil society group to organise rooftop solar owners to fight for better government support.
At COP30, Minister Chris Bowen highlighted his desire for Australia to continue to lead the rooftop solar revolution:
“With a solar panel on the roof and a battery in the garage, households can decide what they do with their energy. This is the decade of electrification.” [4]
Bowen proudly wore our Raise the Roof pin as he addressed global delegates — a powerful symbol of our movement’s influence.
People Power in the Streets
COP30 wasn’t only about negotiations — it was a celebration of community action.
At the People’s March, where 70,000 people filled the streets, our mascot Sunny became an instant icon. Sunny danced, hugged, and high-fived climate defenders from across the world, sparking joyful conversations about rooftop solar as a climate, cost-of-living and resilience solution. The enthusiasm was electric.
A Global Movement Rising From Local Power
One significant win for civil society at COP30 was progress on the Just Transition mechanism, unlocking resources for community-led resilience, adaptation and clean-energy jobs. [5]
The world is shifting toward decentralised, resilient, people-powered energy — and Solar Citizens is right at the heart of that shift.
For more than a decade, we’ve proven what’s possible in Australia:
✔ Millions of households leading the transition.
✔ A national movement shaping policy.
✔ Real wins like the $2.3B Cheaper Home Battery Rebate.
✔ A model the world now wants to learn from.
With the Rooftop Solar Alliance emerging and our COP30 Yellow Book in demand globally, this is our moment to help spark a clean-energy wave across the Asia–Pacific.
☀️ Because the best climate solutions are ones people can install themselves.
☀️ Because clean power should be accessible to everyone.
☀️ Because the cheapest energy is the energy you generate on your own roof.
☀️ And because when people lead, governments follow.
Help Us Power the Next Chapter
Solar Citizens is scaling its impact from Australia to the Asia–Pacific. To meet the moment, we need the resources to:
- train and support civil society partners
- publish and translate policy roadmaps
- build a public movement across the region
- push governments toward ambitious rooftop solar and storage targets
- keep Australia leading the world through people power
If you want a climate solution that is fast, fair and proven — this is it.
Your support will help unlock rooftop solar for millions more families.
Watch our Raise the Roof COP30 event
[1] Let’s Raise the Roof! COP30 event, Australian Pavilion, 13 November 2025
[2] COP30 Yellow Book, Solar Citizens November, 2025
[3] Interview with Basit Ghauri, Renewables First, Pakistan, Solar Citizens, 3min
[4] Climate & Energy Minister Chris Bowen speech to COP30, Belem, 18/11/2025
[5] COP30 approves Belem Package - cop30.br Official statement 22/22/2025
“Parties approved a just transition mechanism that puts people and equity at the center of the fight against climate change. The initiative aims to enhance international cooperation, technical assistance, capacity-building, and knowledge-sharing, and enable equitable, inclusive just transitions.”