Why It Matters

Sunrun Inc. is fighting for its survival. The company is racing against legislative deadlines to preserve federal support that has fueled explosive growth since 2022. Failure to protect these incentives could devastate the residential solar market and trigger tens of thousands of job losses across the sector.

Congress is actively dismantling the Inflation Reduction Act provisions that bankroll residential solar adoption. Multiple bills seek to eliminate investment and production tax credits entirely, while others would phase out clean energy incentives by 2030.

The Stop the Subsidized Green Energy Scam Act and Ending Intermittent Energy Subsidies Act pose existential threats to Sunrun’s business model. By re-engaging a top-tier firm with expertise in high-stakes tax battles and deep relationships across financial services and technology sectors, Sunrun is positioning itself to defend the federal tax credits enabling homeowners to go solar.

By the Numbers

A $550,000 quarterly payment to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP represents a dramatic escalation—quadrupling the $260,000 Sunrun spent during a previous two-year engagement with the firm.

Sunrun Inc. has spent approximately $7.85 million across 156 lobbying disclosures since 2007. Internally, Sunrun’s in-house team has handled $3.69 million in lobbying since 2015, while Cassidy & Associates Inc. served as its primary external partner with $2.03 million in expenditures from 2018 to 2025. During Brownstein’s previous 2017-2018 engagement, Sunrun spent just $260,000 total—significantly less than this single quarterly payment.

The Q3 2025 filing does not identify individual lobbyists assigned to the account.

The Agenda

Sunrun Inc. is lobbying to protect federal tax incentives for residential solar energy. Specifically, the company is fighting to preserve the Investment Tax Credit and residential clean energy credits established by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Historically, Sunrun has advocated for extension and implementation of these tax credits, net metering policies, rooftop solar permitting improvements, and distributed energy resources support.

The timing is urgent. Federal tax credits that power residential solar adoption face imminent expiration.

Why Now?

The solar industry is in crisis. Congress and the Trump administration have systematically dismantled the Inflation Reduction Act provisions that fueled solar’s explosive growth since 2022.

The 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit—core to Sunrun’s business model—expires December 31, 2025. Broader commercial and utility-scale solar incentives are scheduled to phase out by 2027.

According to SEIA’s Q3 2025 Market Insight Report, residential installations collapsed 12% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The industry faces potential job losses exceeding 84,000.

Multiple bills aim to eliminate solar incentives entirely:

Brownstein brings unmatched expertise in high-stakes tax battles and budget reconciliation—precisely where solar incentives are being decided. The firm represents major financial services clients like Ares Capital and Apollo Management, giving it deep relationships on tax policy. It also represents tech giants like Qualcomm and [T-Mobile](https://app.legis1.com/

Between The Lines

Congress is locked in a pitched battle over the future of clean energy incentives. Republicans have advanced multiple bills to eliminate or phase out solar tax credits—including the Stop the Subsidized Green Energy Scam Act, the Ending Intermittent Energy Subsidies Act of 2025, and the Certainty for Our Energy Future Act—while Democrats defend the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives. Recent hearings have starkly illustrated the divide: the Senate Small Business Committee highlighted clean energy’s job creation benefits, while the House Oversight Subcommittee criticized the IRA’s rising costs, now estimated at $825 billion over ten years. Democratic senators including Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders have condemned the administration’s cancellation of the $7 billion "Solar for All" program, calling it unlawful and harmful to working families.

Competitive Landscape

The solar and clean energy industry is mounting a broad, coordinated lobbying response to defend federal tax incentives from legislative dismantling. Sunrun is competing for influence alongside major competitors and industry partners. Tesla Inc. is actively lobbying on solar, energy storage, and virtual power plants. Manufacturers including Canadian Solar Inc. and Maxeon Solar Technologies are heavily engaged in protecting IRA tax credits focused on domestic manufacturing. Trade associations like the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) are leading industry efforts to preserve technology-neutral tax credits for solar and energy storage systems.
Advocacy groups like the Coalition for Community Solar Access are specifically focused on protecting solar tax credits to increase American energy. This unified coalition reflects the industry-wide urgency in defending the federal incentive framework that underpins the entire residential solar sector.

The Bottom Line

Sunrun Inc. is investing heavily in federal lobbying as residential solar faces acute threats. Multiple bills aim to eliminate or phase out solar credits, while the administration cancelled a $7 billion "Solar for All" grant program. Sunrun’s re-engagement with Brownstein—a top-tier firm—signals the company views federal energy policy as existential to its business model. The residential solar industry is mobilizing broadly to protect the Inflation Reduction Act provisions that fueled its growth, but faces significant headwinds from hostile legislation and budget reconciliation efforts.