Solar congress offers answers at event in Lafayette

To help guide a movement to expand solar power in Indiana, community members, small businesses and city leaders are invited to an upcoming solar congress.

The free event is hosted by Solar United Neighbors, or SUN, a national nonprofit that helps communities realize solar goals through rooftop installations.

Zach Schalk is the program director for SUN in Indiana and said people who attend these gatherings often start asking questions.

"Like 'Why don't more people have solar’ and ‘What can I do to help make it so that Indiana is a state that actually embraces the ability of Hoosiers to invest in the benefit from rooftop solar?'" Schalk said.

Schalk said Indiana needs to do more to improve solar policy.

"We've ended things like net metering where we don't have any kind of clear rules for the road,” he said. “Critical tools for equitable solar deployment like third party ownership and community-owned, community-solar."

He said events like the solar congress can be a good place for people to learn how to advocate for more solar opportunities.

SUN hosts these solar congresses around the state. The last time SUN held an event in west central Indiana, they signed up a couple dozen residents to solar panel programs.