Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

What Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1985 that promotes responsible and equitable clean energy adoption across the Southeast United States. SACE operates across five states — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — through four primary advocacy areas: climate advocacy, electric transportation, solar power adoption, utility decarbonization, and energy efficiency. Its core deliverables are annual research reports (Transportation Electrification in the Southeast, Solar in the Southeast, Energy Efficiency in the Southeast, and Tracking Decarbonization in the Southeast), supported by educational resources, webinars, legal and regulatory interventions, and community mobilization initiatives such as Clean Energy Generation, Electrify the South, Electric Black Futures, and the Fossil Gas Hub. The organization also publishes interactive tools including the Electrify My Fleet Roadmap Generator for municipal fleet planning.

SACE's business model is nonprofit funding-based rather than revenue-generating. The organization does not sell products or services; instead, it is sustained by donations, grants, and member support, with all reports, tools, webinars, and educational resources offered free of charge to advance its mission. Its distribution channels are predominantly digital-direct: a primary website (cleanenergy.org), earned media engagement with journalists, an active presence across six social platforms, email newsletters, and grassroots community organizing. SACE monetizes impact rather than transactions, leveraging coalitions with organizations such as the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Generation180, the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network, and EVHybridNoire to amplify influence in utility commission proceedings, federal energy policy, and state-level legislative processes.

The organization is led by Executive Director Dr. Stephen A. Smith and a ten-person senior team covering research, decarbonization, electric transportation, climate advocacy, and energy policy. SACE does not develop proprietary technology products and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities; its competitive position rests on four decades of regional credibility, sustained regulatory engagement, and a diversified advocacy portfolio rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Legal name

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Website

https://cleanenergy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit founded in 1985 that advocates for clean energy adoption across five Southeast U.S. states (FL, GA, NC, SC, TN) through research reports, regulatory engagement, community organizing, and educational tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Energy Advocacy

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions) (BPAGALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scope 1–3 GHG Inventory Strategy, Data Governance & Controls (advisory) (EUABAKAD), Net-Zero Assurance & Readiness Assessments (limited assurance prep, audit support) (EUABAKAJ), Climate Mitigation Programs (Energy, Industry, Transport) (BPADALAC)

Keywords

• Clean energy advocacy
• Climate policy research
• Solar power reports
• Electric transportation advocacy
• Utility decarbonization

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit advocacy organization that conducts research, analysis, policy advocacy, community organizing, and education to accelerate clean energy adoption in the Southeast United States. Its core deliverables are annual research reports tracking solar deployment, transportation electrification, energy efficiency, and utility decarbonization across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, complemented by planning tools such as the Electrify My Fleet Roadmap Generator and educational resources like the ABCs of EVs factsheet.

Product overview

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) is a non-profit advocacy organization offering a portfolio of research reports, educational tools, and community initiatives focused on accelerating clean energy adoption in the Southeast United States. The core offering consists of published research reports including the Transportation Electrification in the Southeast Report, Solar in the Southeast Report, Energy Efficiency in the Southeast Report, and Tracking Decarbonization in the Southeast Report. Supporting these are interactive tools like the Electrify My Fleet Roadmap Generator, educational resources such as the ABCs of EVs factsheet, and community initiatives including Clean Energy Generation, Electrify the South, Electric Black Futures, and the Fossil Gas Hub resource center. All offerings work together to advance SACE's mission of promoting responsible and equitable energy choices throughout the Southeast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clean Energy Generation: A movement of people of all ages and abilities working together to address the climate crisis and create a healthier future for families, communities, and planet.
• Electrify the South
• Electric Black Futures
• Fossil Gas Hub

Products and services

• Solar in the Southeast Report

Quantifiable outcome

• Southeast reached 30 gigawatts of cumulative solar in 2025
• +6 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Generation180coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE partnered with Generation180 to bring real community voices to lawmakers in Washington D.C., making the case for energy affordability, resilience, and grid modernization. This collaboration supports advocacy efforts to influence federal energy policy.
• Southeast Sustainability Directors NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE collaborates with the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network to engage community voices at the federal level, supporting local government efforts to advance clean energy and sustainability goals across the region.
• Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE works with the Southern Environmental Law Center on legal advocacy, including opposing Duke Energy's proposed gas plant in Person County, NC. SELC provides legal representation in regulatory and judicial proceedings on clean energy and environmental justice matters.
• EVHybridNoireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE partnered with EVHybridNoire to engage Raleigh residents during a Juneteenth celebration, sharing EV education and gathering community input to help shape the city's equitable electric transportation future.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC): SELC is a regional environmental legal advocacy organization serving the Southeast. SACE explicitly partners with SELC on legal advocacy (e.g., opposing Duke Energy's gas plant and other regulatory actions), and they share the same geography, mission, and stakeholder base, making them the closest direct peer.
• Appalachian Voices: Appalachian Voices is a regional nonprofit advocating for clean energy, environmental protection, and community resilience across the Southeast/Appalachian region. It shares SACE's nonprofit model, geographic focus, and mix of research, advocacy, and community organizing.
• Vote Solar: Vote Solar is a national solar advocacy nonprofit that runs state-level campaigns to expand equitable solar access. It produces research and policy reports (similar to SACE's Solar in the Southeast Report) and engages in state utility commission proceedings, making it a direct comparable in solar policy advocacy.
• Energy Foundation: Energy Foundation is a national philanthropic advocacy organization that funds and coordinates clean energy policy efforts across U.S. states. It closely mirrors SACE's mission of advancing clean energy policy through research, grants, and coalition-building, and operates at a comparable advocacy/research model.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): NRDC is a large, established environmental advocacy nonprofit with active Southeast and clean energy programs. It operates at a larger, national scale than SACE but uses the same research-plus-advocacy playbook, including regulatory engagement and litigation.
• Sierra Club: Sierra Club is a large national environmental organization with active Beyond Coal, Ready for 100, and electric transportation campaigns in the Southeast. It competes with SACE for the same donor base, grassroots volunteers, and policy influence in the region.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): EDF is a major national environmental nonprofit that engages in clean energy, climate, and utility regulation advocacy, including Southeast-based work. Its research, policy, and corporate engagement model parallels SACE's clean energy advocacy work.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): RMI is a clean energy research and advocacy organization that publishes influential Southeast-specific analyses (e.g., on data center load, gas buildout) and works directly with utilities and regulators. Its research and convening role overlaps directly with SACE's annual reports and utility engagement.

Emerging players

• Generation180: Generation180 is a nonprofit focused on accelerating the transition to clean energy through community engagement and storytelling. SACE explicitly partners with Generation180 on federal energy affordability advocacy, and the organizations share a similar nonprofit advocacy model.

Others

• Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA): CEBA is a membership organization that drives commercial and industrial clean energy procurement. While it focuses on buyer-side market development rather than advocacy, its work on Southeast corporate clean energy adoption intersects with SACE's utility decarbonization and solar policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cleanenergyorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/cleanenergyorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-alliance-for-clean-energy
• Instagraminstagram.com/cleanenergyorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Alliance for Clean Energy