In this blog post I will be looking at Solarpunk and how it might be used to imagine a better and more environmentally friendly world.
What is Solarpunk?
“Solarpunk is a movement in speculative fiction, art, fashion, and activism that seeks to answer and embody the question ‘what does a sustainable civilisation look like, and how can we get there?'” (Reina-Rozo, J.D. 2021).
Solarpunk is an optimistic and imaginative art and speculative fiction genre centred on looking after people and protecting ecosystems and the environment, and imaging a better future to achieve that (Hunter, C. 2024), (Hull, 2019). Solarpunk was first coined in 2008 in an blog post titled From Steampunk to Solarpunk (John-robert 2008). Solarpunk is also associated with the Hopepunk movement (Hull, 2019).
This is Dear Alice, an advert commonly sited by Solarpunk enthusiasts, created by The Line for Chobani yoghurt (Steinkopf-Frank, H. 2021). It features many elements akin to the Solarpunk scene. Technology being used to assist with nature and humans, humans coexisting in peace with animals and nature at large, and of course, solar panels. The ad paints a beautiful picture of a girl inheriting a land from her grandmother. (THE LINE 2021). A version of the ad without the Chobani branding has also been created (Resilience 2022).
Solarpunk is the opposite of other themes like Cyberpunk and Steampunk. Flynn, A. (2014) states that “Our futurism is not nihilistic like cyberpunk and it avoids steampunk’s potentially quasi-reactionary tendencies: it is about ingenuity, generativity, independence, and community.“
An image used by Miss Olivia Louise for her 2014 solarpunk blog post (Louise, O. ed., 2014).
Political Ideologies of Solarpunk (the punk)
“The “punk” in Solarpunk is about rebellion, counterculture,post-capitalism,decolonialism and enthusiasm. It is about going in a different direction than the mainstream, which is increasingly going in a scary direction.” (Reina-Rozo, J.D. 2021).
Solarpunk is described as a post-capitalistic society. as Hudson, A.D. (2021) states, “I see solarpunk emerging as a reaction to this sensation of strangling decay. People want to feel the vibrancy of progress, not just the anxious giddiness of capitalist churn. We want to seek out and apply our true talents, not warp our lives around making money for other, richer people. We want our work to mean something more than survival.” Solarpunk is also often seen as a progressive movement that tends to be intertwined with left wing ideologies, as (Resilience 2022) states, “Solarpunk’s values are rooted in the traditions of anarchism, socialism, ecological reciprocity, and human creativity, while it rejects the dogmas of history and seeks instead to imagine a new aspirational future.” It’s fair to say that Solarpunk is not a right-wing ideology, so don’t expect conservatives to be talking about it in a positive light.
Flynn, A. (2014) says that ” there’s a -punk there, and not just because it’s become a trendy suffix. There’s an oppositional quality to solarpunk, but it’s an opposition that begins with infrastructure as a form of resistance.”
One of the principles of Solarpunk is the idea of decentralisation, using ideas like mesh networks and platform cooperatives, and the idea that people and the planet should be prioritised over the generation of profit. (Solarpunk Station 2018), (Lai, O. 2022).
Similar environmental messages have come from progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the US (Steinkopf-Frank, H. 2021), (The Intercept, 2019).
Smith, N. (2021) however, suggests that those put off by the Anarchic connotations of Solarpunk to instead exercise their imaginations in the hope that “they go on to create and align with solarpunk visions.”
Examples of Solarpunk
Examples of Solarpunk in fiction include The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin and Miyazaki as well as the Art Nouveau movement (Resilience 2022), (Reina-Rozo, J.D. 2021), (Hunter, C. 2024), (Hull, 2019).
References
Reina-Rozo, J.D. (2021). Art, Energy and Technology: the Solarpunk Movement. International Journal of Engineering, Social Justice, and Peace, 8(1), pp.55–68. doi:https://doi.org/10.24908/ijesjp.v8i1.14292.
THE LINE (2021). Dear Alice. [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/z-Ng5ZvrDm4?si=1mLVFo1VAn37RVlT [Accessed 14 Oct. 2025].
Smith, N. (2021). What is solarpunk and can it help save the planet? BBC News. [online] 2 Aug. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57761297.
Steinkopf-Frank, H. (2021). Solarpunk Is Not About Pretty Aesthetics. It’s About the End of Capitalism. [online] VICE. Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/solarpunk-is-not-about-pretty-aesthetics-its-about-the-end-of-capitalism/.
The Intercept (2019). A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/d9uTH0iprVQ?si=zuZyuZ58N5jV52s8 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2025].
Flynn, A. (2014). Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto | Project Hieroglyph. [online] hieroglyph.asu.edu. Available at: https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/.
Louise, O. ed., (2014). Land of Masks and Jewels – Here’s a thing I’ve had around in my head for a… [online] Land of Masks and Jewels. Available at: https://missolivialouise.tumblr.com/post/94374063675/heres-a-thing-ive-had-around-in-my-head-for-a.
Hudson, A.D. (2021). On the Political Dimensions of Solarpunk. [online] Solarpunks. Available at: https://medium.com/solarpunks/on-the-political-dimensions-of-solarpunk-c5a7b4bf8df4.
Hunter, C. (2024). What is solarpunk? Inside an audaciously hopeful environmental movement that’s thriving in the Bay Area. [online] The Mercury News. Available at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/24/solarpunk-environmental-movement-bay-area/.
John-robert (2008). Republic of the Bees: From Steampunk to Solarpunk. [online] Republic of the Bees. Available at: https://republicofthebees.blogspot.com/2008/04/from-steampunk-to-solarpunk.html.
Hull, A. (2019). Hopepunk and Solarpunk: On Climate Narratives That Go Beyond the Apocalypse. [online] Literary Hub. Available at: https://lithub.com/hopepunk-and-solarpunk-on-climate-narratives-that-go-beyond-the-apocalypse/.
Solarpunk Station (2018). Solarpunk: A decentralized society. [online] Solarpunk Station. Available at: https://solarpunkstation.com/2018/07/12/solarpunk-a-decentralized-society/ [Accessed 14 Oct. 2025].
Resilience (2022). Solarpunk: Radical Hope. [online] resilience. Available at: https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-12-20/solarpunk-radical-hope/.
Lai, O. (2022). Solarpunk Is the Future We Should Strive For. [online] Earth.org. Available at: https://earth.org/solarpunk/.