I don't know enough to say this for sure, but my impression is that solarpunk emerged as a drop in replacement for the (sexist) "helpless white girl" trope in c

I don't know enough to say this for sure, but my impression is that solarpunk emerged as a drop in replacement for the (sexist) "helpless white girl" trope in cyberpunk. That is to say, the a solarpunk person or community exists inside of a cyberpunk work as an innocent thing which motivates the cyberpunk hero to protect it or seek revenge for its destruction. Just as with the "helpless white girl" trope, the solarpunks in a cyberpunk work lack agency--they're just victims whose primary purpose is to act as motivators for the characters with agency. This is sometimes cringefully underscored by the solarpunk character also being a helpless white girl (with all the sexism that implies). In the better cases of solarpunk-in-cyberpunk, this may initially come across as condescending, but realize that in context, the cyberpunk hero is only putting on a show of agency. The nihilism of cyberpunk comes from the fact that the cyberpunk hero's actions are ultimately pointless. The capitalist overlords in a cyberpunk work are like Greek gods: immortal. In this context, the cyberpunk heroes' struggles are ultimately in vain--the capitalist overlord may not always win, but the cyberpunk hero always loses. Given this, the solarpunks' decision to carve out some small happiness for themselves before their inevitable destruction seems more reasonable--the cyberpunk hero is a tragic hero whose fatal flaw is that they can't admit defeat, and have to suffer their entire lives struggling ineffectually against powers beyond their control. In a way that's an insight into why I identify so viscerally with cyberpunk: I want to be solarpunk but I'm too cynical. I don't think that's a bad thing, but it's certainly not an enjoyable thing--I think ultimately I'm happiest when I can be a little less cyberpunk and a little more solarpunk.