On April 16 of this year, Jonathan Bass became director of communications for SolarCity, the Foster City, CA-based provider of commercial and residential solar power. Four days later, he was backstage with rock stars at the Green Apple Music Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. He was about to speak to 15,000 people about the affordability of solar power.

“There's never a dull moment,” Bass says. “There's a lot of interest in solar power. Choosing programs to ...