Sharing the Power Foundation marks 5 years with 2026 Clean Energy Fellows class

Sharing the Power Foundation named 22 students from 18 universities to its 2026 Clean Energy Fellows class as the nonprofit celebrates more than $1 million in scholarships over five years. The program is designed to build a more diverse clean energy workforce through scholarships, internships and leadership training.

Why it matters: - Sharing the Power Foundation is trying to widen who gets access to clean energy careers, a sector that still lacks broad representation across race, geography and school type. - The 2026 class adds 22 emerging leaders from 18 universities nationwide to a pipeline that links education, paid experience and industry access. - The Foundation has now awarded more than $1 million in scholarships in its first five years.

What happened: - Sharing the Power Foundation announced its 2026 Class of Clean Energy Fellows on Sept. 30, 2026. - The class includes 22 high-achieving students from 18 universities across the United States. - The announcement also marked the Foundation’s five-year milestone. - Lauren Strickland, Fellowship Director at Sharing the Power Foundation, said the milestone is measured by the students the program supports.

The details: - The Clean Energy Fellows Program supports undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers at the intersection of energy, technology and policy. - Fellows receive merit-based scholarships and paid internships. - The program also includes a weekly seminar series with senior leaders in utilities, technology, finance, manufacturing, renewable energy development and public policy. - The Foundation says the program intentionally recruits from HBCUs, land-grant institutions and research universities. - Undergraduate Fellows return to their home campuses as Foundation Ambassadors after completing the program. - Those ambassadors are expected to support sustainability initiatives and help guide peers toward clean energy careers. - Graduate Fellows and alumni move into the clean energy workforce and join the Foundation’s alumni network. - The Foundation also launched the Energy Equity for All Pitch Competition, which asks Fellows to develop and present solutions to real-world energy and environmental challenges. - The competition is designed to build problem-solving and entrepreneurship skills early in Fellows’ careers. - University of Michigan Fellow Kaiwan Bilal said the program helped connect technical skills with a policy-oriented approach. - Tuskegee University Fellow Isaiah Harris said the fellowship strengthened professional development and clarified how engineering can create community impact.

Between the lines: - The program’s structure suggests the Foundation is not just funding students, but also shaping a long-term talent pipeline for the clean energy economy. - Its mix of scholarships, internships and direct exposure to industry leaders is aimed at converting academic interest into career placement. - The pitch competition adds an entrepreneurship element, which may help Fellows move from policy and research into practical solutions. - The emphasis on HBCUs and other mission-aligned institutions points to a deliberate strategy to diversify access in a sector often criticized for uneven opportunity. - The Foundation’s funding model ties the program to utility-scale solar revenue, creating a direct link between clean energy procurement and workforce investment. - Gilbert Campbell, Volt Energy Utility CEO and Foundation board chairman, said the organization is grateful to Microsoft and new corporate partners for backing the program.

What's next: - The 2026 Fellows will move through scholarships, internships and weekly seminars over the course of the program. - Undergraduate Fellows will return to campus as Foundation Ambassadors after completing the fellowship. - Graduate Fellows and alumni are expected to carry the program’s network into the clean energy workforce. - The new pitch competition will likely become another channel for identifying student-led solutions to energy and environmental problems. - The Foundation’s corporate-backed funding structure suggests additional classes and partnerships could follow as the program expands.

The bottom line: - Sharing the Power Foundation is using scholarships, internships and industry access to build a cleaner-energy workforce that looks more like the communities it aims to serve.