Q&A: Solar industry leader on ‘showing up’ at both conventions

By Emma Dumain | 08/21/2024 06:34 AM EDT

“I loved this industry for four years under Trump,” said Abigail Ross Hopper.

Solar Energy Industries Association President and CEO Abigail Ross Harper.

Solar Energy Industries Association CEO Abigail Ross Harper on Capitol Hill in May. This week, she's attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Abigail Ross Hopper, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, knows she doesn’t have to sell Democratic National Convention attendees on her organization and its work.

But as the sector has grown exponentially in the seven years she has helmed the trade group — thanks in large part to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 — Hopper is on the ground this week to make sure nobody forgets it.

Her strategy is one of exposure, making sure she attends as many events as possible throughout the day and long after the convention programming wraps for the night.

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She has a stash of postcards in her purse printed with front-to-back facts and graphics about solar power’s reach across all 50 states.

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