w w w. g r i d a l t e r n a t i v e s . o r g
History • Nonprofit founded by Erica Mackie, PE and Tim Sears, PE • Piloted Solar Affordable Housing Program in 2004 in the San Francisco Bay Area • Offices throughout California, and in Denver, CO • Currently expanding to New York / New Jersey market
Solar Affordable Housing Program Full service nonprofit contractor serving qualifying low-income homeowners: – Client outreach – Energy efficiency audit and referrals
– Turnkey solar installation – Client education and follow-up • 10y labor warranty, 10-25y equipment warranty
– Workforce development - classroom on the roof
Why Solar for Low-Income Families? • Economic – As a percentage of their income, lowincome households spend 2-4 times what the average American spends on utilities – Unpredictable expenses make budgeting difficult for people on limited income – Our average reduction in monthly electric bills for low-income families: 80%
Why Solar for Low-Income Families? • Environmental Justice – One sector of society does not bear the environmental burden for everyone – Homeowners who can least afford clean energy are often exposed to highest levels of environmental pollution
Why solar for low-income families Economic Justice
• High energy costs • Proportionally greater economic benefit
Widespread Adoption
• Moves solar beyond the “early adopter” phase; Solar is a viable energy solution for all our communities.
Workforce Development • Hands-on experience people need to access solar jobs • Team Leader Program
• 50+ local job training partners in California & Colorado • Community colleges, nonprofit job training groups, veterans organizations, local government agencies, etc.
• Paid work opportunities through Subcontractor Partnership Program
Political Support for Solar GRID Alternatives helps build political support to grow the entire solar industry by countering the argument that solar is just for the wealthy. (At right: California Gov. Jerry Brown celebrates a GRID Alternatives installation in Long Beach, with low-income job trainees from Los Angeles Trade Technical College)
“Solar is often accused of being a rich person’s technology. As the costs of solar continue to come down, we have proven that solar is really for everyone. GRID is proving this every day, figuring out the nuances of this very important future market while helping those less fortunate.” -- Jigar Shah
Growing Impact •
Total Capacity: 10.5 MW
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Number of low-income solar electric systems installed to date: 3,600
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Value of power generated over the systems’ lifetimes for low-income families: $100 M
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Volunteers trained: 12,000
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Tons of greenhouse gas emissions prevented over the systems’ lifetimes: 300,000
* Impacts as of January 2013
Financing our Model • Solar rebates • Corporate Contributions • Grants from Foundations and Municipalities • In-Kind Donations
• Donations from Individuals • Solarthon Block Party and Fundraiser
• Volunteers
GRID Alternatives Network 8 Offices throughout CA and CO, expanding to NY/NJ fall 2013. 30,000 solar supporters and industry members who receive our online communications 12,000 Volunteers receiving hands-on solar training 24 Solar Installation Subcontractors including several of the country’s largest installers like Verengo and RealGoods
Equipment Partnerships GRID Alternatives’ manufacturer partners participate in our work with low income communities and solar job trainees by providing inkind donations of solar equipment for our projects. Major partners are referred to in signage, media outreach and promotional materials as “major equipment partners.� We also work with each partner to develop a customized recognition and stakeholder engagement plan that can include employee engagement opportunities, executive team building, communications collateral, joint PR, and key stakeholder outreach. Current GRID Alternatives major equipment partners include:
Additional Partners Include