‘Shout Out For Solar’ Day Sets Impressive Records

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Calling it an “enormous success,” Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said SEIA’s 2^nd annual “Shout Out for Solar” Day, which took place last Friday on social media venues including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, set impressive new records for the organization’s communications team. 

“No matter how you measure it, “˜Shout Out for Solar’ Day was an enormous success, and we want to thank everyone who took part – especially SEIA member companies,” Resch said.  “This year, participation by our members was up a whopping 200 percent over 2014.” 

Here are the highlights of the day’s events:

• Pro-solar messages reached 40 million unique Twitter accounts, generating 105 million impressions from nearly 20,000 Tweets.
• SEIA passed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Facebook likes, adding 81,208 likes during the campaign – bringing SEIA to a total of nearly 455,000.
• SEIA’s “Shout Out for Solar” Facebook post set a single post record of 30,692 likes, reaching 234,368 people.
• Support came from across the spectrum – leading businesses, environmental groups, politicians, sports stars, celebrities and trade associations, such as the National Association of Realtors.
• The Top 10 contributors were: President Obama, Climate Reality, SEIA, Senator Cory Booker, fitness guru Rock, Philadelphia Eagles, Greenpeace, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and Solar Power World (followed closely by the Washington Redskins, the Sierra Club and Vote Solar).
• Celebrities and sports stars taking part included human rights activist and former actress Bianca Jagger; and NFL stars Anquan Boldin (49ers), Pierre Garcon (Redskins) and Connor Barwin (Eagles), to name just a few.

“I want to give my own special “˜shout out’ to NRG, which finished #1 among our companies in total impressions,” Resch added.  “Rounding out the Top 10 were Dupont, SolarCity, Sun Power, First Wind, Inovateus Solar, Sunrun, Enphase, Recurrent Energy and Clean Power Finance.  Coupled with The Solar Foundation’s new report, showing solar jobs up by more than 20 percent 2014, you can make a persuasive argument that this was one of the best weeks ever for solar energy in America.” 

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About SEIA:
Celebrating its 41st anniversary in 2015, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to champion the use of clean, affordable solar in America by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.

Media Contacts:
Ken Johnson, SEIA Vice President of Communications, kjohnson@seia.org (202) 556-2885 
Samantha Page, SEIA Press Officer and Communications Manager, spage@seia.org (202) 556-2886