Black Sun Light Sustainability (BSLS) is voicing concern over the recent termination of the federal Solar For All program.
At a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, on the corner of East North Street and North Pennsylvania in Indianapolis, BSLS leaders and partners will speak about the importance of solar as a driver of economic growth, workforce development and community resilience.
Indiana currently ranks 23rd in the nation for solar jobs, with 4,103 positions across 91 solar companies, according to a June 2025 report from the Solar Energy Industries Association. That includes 24 solar manufacturers, 34 developers and 33 other solar-related businesses.
“Indiana is already seeing solar job growth, with expanding training programs, contracts for local companies, and pathways for workers — Hoosiers, who historically face some of the highest unemployment rates in the state, as well as opportunities for those who are returning from the carceral system,” said Denise Abdul-Rahman, CEO and founder of BSLS. “This moment is about ensuring that clean energy remains a driver of economic growth and opportunity.”
The event also recognizes the 62nd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, drawing parallels between the historic call for economic opportunity and today’s push for clean energy equity.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to end Solar For All, a program designed to expand access to affordable clean energy, was described by BSLS as a “missed opportunity” for Indiana households, small businesses and nonprofits.
Despite the setback, BSLS outlined its continued commitments, which include deploying 200 rooftop solar installations, creating five cooperative microgrid arrays in cities such as South Bend, Evansville and Indianapolis and establishing 50 solar resilience hubs across 50 counties. The organization says these projects will lower utility bills, increase community resilience and create jobs.
Speakers at Thursday’s press conference will include Abdul-Rahman; Rev. Dr. David Greene, president of Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis; Zach Schalk, program director of Solar United Neighbors; Adewale OgunBadejo, vice president of workforce development at Grid Alternatives; and Mo McReynolds, director of the City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability.
Imhotep Adisa, executive director of the Kheprw Institute, emphasized the importance of collective ownership in advancing energy equity.
“That is why solar projects like the one Kheprw Institute in partnership with Black Sun Light Sustainability are critical at this moment,” Adisa said. “We continue to build on that history to create energy democracy and build community wealth.”
BSLS is a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center, a nonprofit based in California, with a mission to support a diverse and just energy transition domestically and abroad.
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
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