2025 Editors Choice

The Active Church solar project began when a local residential solar company approached them with a mission: Help the church lower its rising energy costs and reinvest those savings back into its community. Through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Sunrock, the church was able to transition to solar with no money out of pocket. One of the most innovative aspects of this project was the design itself. Sunrock proposed arranging the panels to form a cross, complementing the church’s-stained glass and central cross window. To further enhance its presence, they incorporated remote-controlled LED lighting, allowing the crosses to glow at night — turning a functional solar system into an inspiring visual statement. Today, the solar system not only offsets the church’s energy use but also generates meaningful savings that are redirected into ministry, youth programs, music, staffing, and community support.

Why do we like it? This isn’t the first artistic rooftop panel layout we’ve seen, and it’s not the first cross atop a church either. But the added flair of the LED illumination made the PV pop in such a cool way that we had to pick it. As silly as it sounds, the “aesthetics” of a solar array can turn people off. Watthub’s clever approach flips that around. Who knows, roofs without solar + LED lighting could eventually be uncool.

Solar Power Integrator engineered and built two independent hybrid microgrids for Camp Elena, in Terlingua, Texas, near Big Bend National Park. Each system pairs a 36.08 kW solar array with 153 kWh of battery energy storage and a 15 kW Generac generator, delivering 24/7 power for an off-grid hospitality site. The technical merits of the project include the architecture, which prioritizes solar + storage for daily operations, with the generator reserved for prolonged overcast periods, exceptional peaks. Batteries provide overnight autonomy and stabilize voltage/frequency under fast-changing loads; control logic implements solar-first dispatch, peak-shaving, and automatic generator start based on state-of-charge and load thresholds. Each microgrid is metered and networked for remote monitoring. The site’s remoteness required careful logistics: Consolidated deliveries, contingency spares, and equipment staged to minimize backhauls. Rocky terrain dictated engineered foundations — rock drilling/anchors where bedrock was shallow and trench routes selected to protect cabling while maintaining code-required burial depth. Thermal extremes and wind exposure informed racking selection, conductor sizing, ventilation clearances, and lightning/grounding design. Wildlife and guest-safety considerations shaped equipment enclosures. Because guest demand was tied to an eco-tent concept still evolving, the loads are treated as a distribution with seasonal and occupancy variability rather than fixed points.

Why do we like it? When you need a place to disconnect from the world, you can’t do much better than staying at campsite that operates completely off the grid. Camp Elena looks like a perfect getaway.

Operated by the Old San Juan Heritage Foundation, Casa PerlArte is a community-led cultural and educational center located in historic La Perla, Puerto Rico — a historically disadvantaged neighborhood in San Juan, and the last Afro-Indigenous community in San Juan. In the wake of Hurricane Maria and similar storms, Casa PerlArte became an impromptu shelter for residents, ensuring that area residents can access mutual aid and meals. These services are critical, but the structure was not originally designed to offer them. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is using funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and working with partners at the University of Puerto Rico ―

Mayaguez and community leaders to install localized solar + storage systems in some of Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable areas, ensuring that people have access to electricity after hurricanes or other disruptions of the electric grid. The Energy Resilience Hub in La Perla was completed on Aug. 8, 2025, and with the addition of this system, Casa PerlArte will be better prepared to support residents when the next storm, blackout, or other need arises.

Why do we like it? Talk about “just in time.” The Casa PerlArte solar + storage system is already demonstrating its value for community resilience. When a massive blackout left thousands of people in Puerto Rico without electricity, Aug. 17-19, the system served as an electric power oasis for the community — a little over a week after the installation was completed.

The rooftop solar array at the U.S. Department of Energy’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C., is a beacon of clean energy leadership in action. The Washington, D.C., climate introduced some serious installation challenges, including fluctuating temperatures, snow loads, and high winds. All of these factors necessitated a racking system that would offer stability and durability without any trade-off with efficiency or regulatory. Aside from technical proficiency, the system demonstrates an overall dedication to sustainability and local production. The Sollega FR510-6dg racks are 100% U.S.-made, utilizing Texas-based polymer, Los Angeles-injection-molded, and Ohio-fabricated fasteners. When its life cycle is complete, the system is completely recyclable, reducing waste and environmental degradation. This installation not only helps the DOE achieve its clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals — it also provides a blueprint for government agencies and private entrepreneurs to work together towards national sustainability.

Why do we like it? Should be because it’s a shining example of our energy leadership in action. Instead, it wins for the sheer irony of it all. The federal government spent much of 2025 targeting the solar industry with tax credit cuts, funding claw backs, loan cancellations, and just general negativity and false claims. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy wins an award for its own rooftop solar project? Have to do it. Tell all of your friends.

Situated on a 4.18-acre property, this project addresses the issues of unreliable grid power and significant energy demands with an innovative solar and battery storage solution. The property, characterized by its substantial size and high energy consumption, previously depended on a 60 kW generator for backup power. However, this generator solution was not only expensive and inefficient but also posed environmental concerns due to high fuel consumption and noise. To achieve a more reliable and cleaner energy supply while reducing generator fuel costs, the customer installed four FranklinWH systems. Each system features one aGate energy controller and four aPower batteries, paired with an 18 kW solar array. The setup is expected to achieve a 90-95% reduction in generator usage — but maintaining the previous generator was also key for this project. The 800 A distribution panel allows the 60 kW generator to simultaneously charge all 16 batteries. This means that if the solar power alone isn’t enough to charge the battery, the generator can be used to recharge the batteries during the day, without disturbing nighttime tranquility.

Why’d we pick it?

I mean, look at that battery bank. This project highlights what the solar and storage industries already know that many still do not: The Texas oil boom is over, and the Texas battery boom is well underway.