Antalya, Turkiye November 12: Today at COP31, Solar Citizens has drawn together 8 civil society organisations across 8 countries to release Rooftop Solar Action Plans to drive ‘People-centred solutions for a fast, effective and affordable energy transition’.*
These reports provide roadmaps to accelerate the growth of rooftop solar in these countries and set out practical actions their governments can take to support a people-powered energy transition.
Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas says:
“Rooftop solar backed by batteries is both a climate security and an energy security solution. It delivers cheaper, reliable, locally produced electricity, cutting emissions and power bills while putting power back into the hands of people.
“We already have the technology to deliver a faster, fairer and more affordable renewable energy future. What we need now is the political will and the right policies to scale it up.
“These reports bring together practical policy solutions from eight locations around the world, alongside eight universal recommendations that governments can act on now to accelerate rooftop solar and battery storage.
“From making solar accessible to renters and low-income households, to modernising electricity grids and enabling communities to share locally generated power, these are practical solutions that can improve lives, strengthen energy security and tackle climate change.
“Together, these eight universal recommendations provide a pathway for governments to help achieve 300 million solar homes by 2030.”
The Rooftop Solar Alliance's eight universal recommendations call on governments to:
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Prioritise low-income, remote and marginalised communities to reduce energy costs, expand electricity access and alleviate poverty.
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Provide financial incentives and subsidies to help households and businesses invest in rooftop solar and battery storage.
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Establish national policy frameworks that empower state, provincial and local governments to accelerate rooftop solar uptake.
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Remove administrative barriers by streamlining approvals and improving access to government support.
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Modernise electricity grids to accommodate growing rooftop solar and battery capacity and make better use of distributed energy resources.
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Ensure equitable access for renters and all housing types, regardless of home ownership or rental status.
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Enable local energy sharing through Renewable Energy Zones and cooperatives, allowing communities to benefit from locally generated renewable electricity.
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Invest in skills, training and jobs, prioritising opportunities for young people, women and Indigenous peoples.
In Pakistan, millions of people remain disconnected from reliable electricity,while millions more pay a disproportionate price for the power they do receive. People on low incomes need access to affordable and concessional finance so they can participate in their country’s rapidly growing solar market. Research by PRIED and TransitionZero estimates that approximately 33 GW of small-scale rooftop solar has been installed by people across different sectors, yet this distribution is not equitable.
Amina Shahab, Research Associate - Energy Transition for the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED) says:
"Pakistan's rooftop solar revolution demonstrates that communities are no longer just passive consumers of electricity; they are becoming active participants in the energy transition.
“Rooftop solar, supported by battery storage, appropriate grid infrastructure, and enabling regulations, can help improve energy affordability, manage peak demand, and strengthen energy resilience.
“A just energy transition must put people at its center, making electricity more affordable, reliable, and accessible while strengthening the resilience of the national grid."
In Japan, stronger national support for existing houses and buildings to install rooftops will be critical to making the most of the country’s rooftop solar potential.
Hirotaka Koike, ED of Earth Sherpa says:
“Japan’s rooftop solar framework was built for new construction. It has not been extended to the existing housing stock, where installations run at one-eighth the rate of new builds and national support reaches households only through discretionary municipal grants.
“The Seventh Strategic Energy Plan sets no target for existing private housing, and no single ministry is responsible for it. This is the constraint on Japan’s rooftop potential, and it is possible to fix: a standing retrofit programme and an interim target for 2035.”
In Indonesia, long-term compensation and incentive schemes lasting more than five years would give households and businesses the certainty needed to invest.
Fabby Tumiwa, CEO of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) says:
“Indonesia is blessed with abundant sunshine year-round, yet its vast solar potential remains largely untapped. As the world pushes toward installing 300 million rooftop solar systems, Indonesia has an opportunity to lead.
“Every solar panel installed on a home, warung, or factory means cleaner air, lower electricity bills, and less dependence on fossil fuels.
“Rooftop solar could make a significant contribution to President Prabowo’s ambition to deploy 100 GW of solar power, providing a relatively low-cost, rapidly deployable solution that could add substantial capacity within the next three years. With the right policies, Indonesia can turn millions of rooftops into a powerful engine of energy security, economic savings, and a cleaner future.”
In Brazil, community and energy cooperatives, already showing how rooftop and distributed solar can deliver benefits in favelas and other excluded communities must be expanded.
Igor Mella, Director Executivo, RevoluSolar says:
"In Brazil, the sun is not the scarce resource, neither is the solar energy tech. Ownership is. Most low-income families rent, live in informal settlements or have no roof title, so rooftop solar designed for individual owners passes them by.
“At Cooperativa Percília e Lúcio, the first solar cooperative in a Brazilian favela, residents trained as technicians and households now own and govern their system together. Brazil should make its low-income community energy sandbox permanent policy and fully implement its distributed generation law. Solar reaches everyone when communities are the owners.”
In Vanuatu, remote and women-led communities need urgent investment in reliable solar electricity.
Flora Vano, Country Manager at ActionAid Vanuatu says:
“Our off-grid solar project in Vanuatu is about so much more than reliable, clean energy for the community. This is a women-led project that has improved safety, empowered women to earn an income, and is making it easier for children to do their homework.
“On top of all this, we’re also seeing a reduction in gender-based violence. There are so many benefits to solar, and we’re hoping to expand this project to many more communities throughout Vanuatu.”
In Australia, renters and apartment residents remain locked out of many of the benefits of rooftop solar and batteries, and governments must act to make renewable, affordable energy accessible regardless of housing type.
Heidi Lee Douglas, CEO of Solar Citizens says:
“Australia is a world leader in rooftop solar, but millions of renters and apartment residents are still locked out of the benefits of cheaper, cleaner power.
“Our action plan calls for Australia to double down on rooftop solar and storage, with incentives for landlords to do the right thing and put solar on rental homes; plus enabling plug in solar and batteries for renters and apartments; and supports better energy efficiency standards for rental homes. So renters have safe, comfortable homes and cheaper energy bills, and are not second class energy citizens.
“We also need to unlock the potential of our big commercial rooftops and create Urban Renewable Energy Zones that allow communities to generate, store and share locally produced electricity.
“We have the technology to deliver cheaper, cleaner power for everyone. Now we need the political will and the right policies to make sure no one is left behind.”
Download the reports
Banner image shows Home owners and panel owners’ at Anori Kun1 rooftop solar power scheme in Japan that pairs roof owners with “panel owners” - who pay to install the panels and sell the power they generate to the home owner.
About the Rooftop Solar Alliance
The Rooftop Solar Alliance is a growing network of civil society organisations working together to help more people and communities benefit from rooftop and distributed solar and battery storage.
We share evidence, pathways and practical solutions to enable uptake to scale the implementation of rooftop solar backed by storage. At the heart of our work is a simple belief: together we can empower 300 million solar homes to benefit from affordable, renewable energy by 2030.
About 300 Million Solar Homes
300 Million Solar Homes is driving global action to scale rooftop solar to 300 million systems by 2030, across homes, small businesses and community buildings. Our mission is to unlock the policies, finance and action needed to bring affordable and reliable electricity to people globally through rooftop and household solar and battery storage.
The initiative aims to mobilise industry, cities, citizens, finance institutions, and governments to help deliver 300 million solar and storage rooftops by 2030, supporting the COP28 global objective to triple renewable energy by 2030.