Nonprofit brings solar to low-income homes in valley

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect the correct information regarding the state rebate.

When Francisco Rosas got laid off from the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, he decided to give the solar industry a try.

So Rosas enrolled in solar installation classes at College of the Desert four years ago — but he had trouble grasping all of the material.

That changed when Rosas started volunteering for GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar installer that helps low-income homeowners go solar free of charge. The organization usually staffs its projects with volunteers like Rosas, who are looking to learn the ropes of rooftop solar.

"I wasn't getting it — but when I went to GRID, the light bulb came on," he said.

Rosas was later hired by Access Solar in Palm Springs, before moving to Planet Solar in Palm Desert. He currently does solar design and installation work as an independent contractor.

But the 42-year-old continues to volunteer with the nonprofit solar installer that got him his start in the industry. He was at a GRID Alternatives project Friday afternoon in Palm Springs, helping about a dozen trainees from College of the Desert and elsewhere install solar panels for a low-income family.

"I try to be involved as much as I can, because of all they've done to get me the experience I needed," Rosas said. "They're like a family."

GRID — which is based in Oakland and has an office in Riverside — has been active in the Coachella Valley, with nearly 250 installations over the last three years. Friday's installation was just its second in Palm Springs, and the first to involve local trainees.

It's possible GRID has been slow to take off in Palm Springs because of the city's relatively high income levels, said Lisa Castilone, the organization's outreach coordinator. The nonprofit receives much of its funding from the state's Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes program, meaning only low-income homeowners living in affordable housing qualify.

But it's also possible, Castilone said, that the organization hasn't done enough to market itself in the city. Low-income homeowners tend to be skeptical about the idea of free solar, Castilone said, until they see their neighbors taking advantage of the program.

"People don't believe it," said Bambi Tran, GRID's regional director for the Inland Empire. "It seems too good to be true."

GRID isn't the only nonprofit solar installer, but it is the biggest: Nationwide, it has completed more than 4,600 installations.

Bernadette del Chiaro — executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association, of which GRID is a member — called GRID "an extremely unique organization."

"There have been a few other nonprofit solar installers, but none with the longevity, geographic reach, and multifaceted agenda," del Chiaro said in an email.

Homeowners who work with GRID, Tran said, get a state rebate between $4.75 and $7 per watt for their solar electric systems. Only homeowners who are served by one the state's major investor-owned utilities — Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Gas & Electric — qualify for the program.

In addition to government funding, GRID's work is financed by donations from corporations and foundations. Locally, Tran said, the organization's sponsors have included the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and two Palm Springs solar installers, Hot Purple Energy and SunUp Energy.

Students from College of the Desert have worked on GRID projects throughout the desert, under the supervision of professionals.

Three students from the Palm Desert college worked on Friday's installation, alongside seven trainees from Center for Employment Training in Coachella, two from the Coast Career Institute and two additional volunteers.

Among the College of the Desert students was Steve Sutton, 53, who has been taking solar classes for about six weeks. Sutton has worked in construction for three decades, but Friday was his first time working on a solar installation.

"Everything we're learning in the classroom is theory, pictures from the book," he said. "Here we can see inverters, hold them in our hands, attach them to the rail."

The volunteer work, he added, greatly improves his prospects for working in the solar industry.

"Nobody's going to give you a job with no experience," he said.

The homeowner receiving solar panels on Friday asked not to be identified. GRID is working with two other homeowners on the same block who also are interested in going solar.

Tran is hopeful that once GRID does a few installations in Palm Springs, many more low-income homeowners will seek out its services.

"The desert is one of our priorities because we know that the energy bills in the summer are so high," Tran said. "We want to be able to serve as many low-income families in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs as possible, and also provide local job training."

Energy Reporter Sammy Roth can be reached at (760) 778-4822, Sammy.Roth@desertsun.com and @Sammy_Roth.