Solarpunk is an art movement, a literary genre, and a political ethos that envisions a future where humanity has solved major contemporary challenges (climate change, corporate greed) by integrating advanced technology with the natural world.
It is the optimistic counter-response to Cyberpunk.
Imagine a skyscraper that acts as a vertical forest. Stained glass solar panels. 3D printed architecture made of biodegradable materials. It rejects the cold, grey industrialism of the 20th century in favor of organic shapes and bright colors.
Solarpunk loves technology, but it hates "Black Boxes." It champions Open Source hardware, the Right to Repair, and Decentralization. It believes that if you can't fix it, you don't own it.
It leans toward Post-Scarcity and Communalism. It emphasizes mutual aid, community gardens, library economies (borrowing instead of buying), and Maker Culture.
You asked about Solarpunk because you are currently building a piece of it.
Meshtastic fits the definition perfectly:
The Takeaway: Cyberpunk is a warning of what happens if we let tech control us. Solarpunk is a roadmap for how we use tech to save ourselves.