Solar Power World is proud to present the second-annual SPW Rising Stars. These solar industry workers are improving the industry and inspiring others to join the clean energy workforce. Read all of our Rising Star profiles here.
With policy an inextricable part of solar progress in the United States, many larger solar contractors have invested in staff to advance their interests. Northeast solar installer ReVision Energy hired Lindsay Bourgoine in 2023 to build the company’s policy infrastructure from scratch. In two years, Bourgoine’s powerful advocacy and organizing work has shifted the employee-owned company from a reactive position to a proactive force working to shape legislation across Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She brings competitors, allies, policymakers and community voices together, aligning people around shared priorities and amplifying collective influence. Below is a Q&A with Bourgoine.
SPW: What are the most challenging and, alternatively, most rewarding parts of working in the solar and storage industry right now?
Bourgoine: My role at ReVision Energy is in leading our public policy work, and it should come as no surprise that current political perceptions of solar energy bring forth immense challenges in advancing solar policy at the local, state and federal level. Operating in an environment of misinformation has proved to be very difficult to overcome with key policy decisionmakers.
In these times, one of the most rewarding parts of my role is serving as an ambassador for ReVision Energy in the political arena: This past year, I particularly enjoyed ensuring our teammates had timely, comprehensive updates on the rapidly changing political landscape so they could best answer questions in real time with our current and prospective customers. I feel very grateful that my fellow co-owners trust me to negotiate our interests in the political arena, and I want to ensure they understand exactly what is happening in that daily work.
What advice would you give someone just starting their career in solar?
While it may seem that the political climate is stacked against solar, it remains one of the most abundant, least-cost sources of energy. Don’t forget that. While policy may make the environment more challenging, it doesn’t change the fact that the sun will shine on. Keeping the long-term view front-of-mind right now is incredibly important.
Lindsay Bourgoine and colleagues at ReVision Energy headquarters in 2024 with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Former Dept. of Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm.
What accomplishments are you most proud of so far in your solar career?
I am most proud of bringing forth compromise in multiple state legislatures over the past few years. I often work in states where the environment only favors small, incremental change and it’s important to remember that any small change in the right direction is moving us toward the future we all want to see. While others may say it’s not worth it, I’m proud of the realism and pragmatism I bring to my work.
What’s a Big Idea you have about the renewable energy transition?
While not a ‘Big Idea,’ an acknowledgement and reminder that so much of the work in deploying solar energy ultimately depends on utility regulation and power sector rate design — and it will require significant attention, advocacy and creative thinking for public utilities commissions to allow for systemic change. I’m excited to see what new groups like PowerLines will do in this space to change the status quo.
Who or what has had a major influence on your work in renewable energy?
I’m very grateful to the Yale Center of Business and the Environment and the community there — their “crash courses” in renewable energy gave me the background I needed as a climate advocate to transition my career more directly into energy policy. I’m a big fan of their certificate program in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy too.
