In acknowledgement of the 10th anniversary of Solar Power World’s Top Solar Contractors list, the editorial team proudly recognizes four individuals for Top Solar Champions awards. These special awards highlight four individuals working at Top Solar Contractor companies who have gone the extra mile in their jobs and solar advocacy efforts.
The 2021 Top Solar Advocate award-winner is Sarah Wochos, senior director of policy and business development for Borrego.
Sarah Wochos’ instrumental role in launching new solar markets in Illinois and Pennsylvania has landed her the No. 1 spot as Top Solar Advocate this year.
Wochos was one of the lead negotiators for environmental organizations in Illinois’s Future Energy Jobs Act, which opened the state’s solar industry. She also spearheaded the regulatory process that created the Adjustable Block Program that established the distributed solar market in Illinois.
– Ilan Gutherz, VP of policy and strategy, Borrego
For the past few years, Wochos has been one of the few industry professionals who has represented all renewable energy interest groups in Illinois’s Path to 100 Act, which would set a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. At the same time, she has been a key player in Pennsylvania developing and advancing bipartisan policy that would establish a community solar market in the state.
Wochos holds many titles in addition to her full-time job. She’s the co-chair of the Coalition for Community Solar Access’s (CCSA) Illinois committee, the chair of CCSA’s Pennsylvania committee, a board member of the Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA) and a member of the Midwest committee of SEIA.