When the eclipse came to town in Nashville, local solar contractor LightWave Solar decided to sponsor an event off the beaten path in Hadley Park, for locals, not tourists, in a traditionally underserved community.

The event was called “Love & Unity Under One Sun,” and featured local activist speakers, musicians, dancers and singers. The temperature was already nearing 90 degrees when the event began at 10:00 am, so attendees sought refuge under the huge tree in the middle of the park (check out my photo blog here).

Many groups in the community are working hard to remedy the ills of the fossil fuel system here, including LightWave Solar and activist groups like EarthMatters Tennessee. Clean energy advocates just scored a major win here by securing the first community solar project in Nashville through Nashville Electric Services. The “Music City Solar” project will be a 2-MW array located on a former landfill, and will allow residents who can’t own solar on their own properties to purchase shares of community solar. LightWave Solar will build the Music City Solar project, with ground breaking slated for late fall.

In this podcast, I talk to LightWave’s marketing manager Grace Robertson and two other people who make solar happen in Nashville.