News from BPRC’s Executive Director
August 2026
Summer Highlights Worth Celebrating!
Dear friend,
This Sunday marked the 4th anniversary of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate and energy in U.S. history. The IRA enabled many of us to tackle the climate crisis head on and plan ambitiously for a climate transition that benefits our communities. Then, the Trump administration returned to Washington swinging the sledgehammer at many of the IRA’s programs. Their goal: locking us into a fossil economy.
Despite Trump’s destructive federal agenda, local and state government leaders and power-building groups are proving that:
some federal dollars are still flowing, and
building clean energy infrastructure and electrifying our homes and schools is a win-win on both climate and affordability.
It’s been a busy summer for the Building Power Resource Center and for the Building Power Network, whose work is evidence of the points above. Below are some recent highlights we want to celebrate with you.
School districts are building solar projects and collecting big checks.
The Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) received its second reimbursement check from the IRS for $1.6MM for rooftop solar projects at eight schools. Since the District’s use of the Elective Pay program, made possible through the IRA, it secured over $2.8MM. SLCSD’s Energy Resource Manager said, “Investing in these energy projects is not only good for the air our students breathe and for preserving our resources here in Utah – it’s good for our District’s bottom line…We were able to lower the costs of the projects and reduce our long-term utility expenses, which is the second highest line item in our budget.”
BPRC is proud to have supported SLCSD in securing this $1.6MM check, and to support the Sierra Club Utah Chapter for their ongoing organizing efforts in Salt Lake and across the state.
Our partners at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) also received their first $120,000 Elective Pay check from the IRS for a solar pilot. CPS is working closely with the Chicago Teachers Union and a community coalition on 4 additional solar projects this year, so millions of dollars are expected to come back to the District soon.
We’re bringing together local leaders for site tours of successful projects.
In Columbus, OH, 24 attendees (including leaders from 3 other OH cities) traveled to learn about the geothermal heat pump system at an elementary school, alongside the Columbus City Schools, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and Undaunted K12. The Facilities Director shared that the school used less than 50% of the energy of equivalent schools, saving over 50% on energy costs. Furthermore, he shared that geothermal kept students warm during a cold snap, while other schools in the district had been forced to close.
In San Francisco, 30 attendees (including staff from the CPUC, PG&E, and allies) alongside PODER, San Francisco Environment Department, and Emerald Cities Collaborative, visited 3 solarized or fully electrified buildings. It was a great opportunity for members of BPRC’s new California cohort to connect and learn more about what it takes to make these projects work, especially as community groups and local government leaders strategize about improving our neighborhoods at scale via a zonal electrification approach.
Watch this great video about PODER's successful Mission District demonstration project, one of the sites we visited.
We are building crucial communications capacity to win the win.
As several of BPRC’s partners successfully electrify and build clean energy projects, we wanted to ensure these stories are celebrated in traditional and new media environments to better scale our work. Throughout July, we offered a 4-part training series with communications expert Lauren Hitt, former spokesperson for Harris for President and Communications Director for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 36 members of BPRC’s cohort participated in the series, writing pitches for reporters and creators and drafting holistic communications plans.
Finally, you are invited to hear directly from on-the-ground implementers at our NYC Climate Week event.
For the second year running, BPRC is presenting at Climate Week in NYC. Please join us on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at the Center for Architecture in the West Village of Manhattan for an in-person panel discussion from 4:00 to 5:30PM, followed by a reception with beverages and light catering until 7:00PM.
Our event, entitled Learning from Implementers: Strategies for Scaling Clean Energy Projects, will be an opportunity to hear from local government leaders and power-building organizations who are scaling decarbonization of our homes and schools.
We’ll discuss the reality of what is working and what is holding us back. Speaker details to come. RSVP here!
Thank you for tuning in. There is so much more to share, so please follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on all things BPRC. If you have any ideas for collaboration or would like to learn more about any of these updates, please be in touch. I’d love to connect with you!
Yong Jung