I LOVE this organization!!! They install solar panels for low-income homeowners with the help of volunteers and job trainees. This provides triple benefit: (1) Helping the environment by reducing greenhouse gases (2) Helping low-income homeowners by giving access to renewable energy to those who are often most impacted by pollution, (3) Helping people interested in the solar industry acquire skills and thus train them for future jobs. This organization has installations throughout the state of California. I volunteered with the Fresno office (Central Valley), the staff was wonderful, patient, and knowledgeable. Very diverse and fun bunch of volunteers, I enjoy every day installing with GRID Alternatives and always look forward to the next. I am helping my community and at the same time helping myself.
GRID Alternatives trains and leads teams of volunteers to install solar electric systems for low-income homeowners. Time, talent and resources provided to the organization are leveraged many times - and the work is fun! GRID Alternatives was founded during the 2001 California energy crisis by two passionate engineering professionals, Erica Mackie, and Tim Sears. They wanted to develop a model to make solar technology practical for low-income communities, where households are most adversely affected by high energy costs and where polluting fossil-fuel power plants are frequently located. Since 2004, GRID has installed 165 solar electric systems for low-income families throughout Northern and Southern California. These systems reduce each family’s electric bills by approximately 75%, which translates to a total of over $2.65 million in energy cost savings over the systems’ projected life spans. They will also prevent roughly 8,255 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years, the equivalent of planting 11,522 trees.