Starting on June 21st, Fresno City College Solar Job Trainees spent four days installing four solar electric systems on the rooftops of affordable homes in the Gail Estates neighborhood in Tulare with GRID Alternatives. The Solar Job Trainees’ participation on the solar installations was part of the Fresno City College Training Institute’s first solar training program for PV Solar Installers. The hands-on installation participation is a requirement for successful program completion.
“The installations with GRID Alternatives provided a great opportunity for the students to apply what they learned in the classroom to the realities of a PV installation. Doing the installation was extremely beneficial in rounding out the learning process,” said Program Coordinator Rob Weil who joined the job trainees on the roof. Charles Francis, director of the Training Institute at Fresno City College, added, “We are pleased with our partnership with GRID Alternatives which provides necessary hands-on opportunities for students to prepare them better for the job market.”
The affordable homes at Gail Estates were built by the owners with the assistance of Self-Help Enterprises, a non-profit organization committed to helping people with low incomes help themselves. Self-Help Enterprises partnered with the City of Tulare Redevelopment Agency to purchase 22 lots. Construction on the first 9 single family homes started in May 2010. The families provided sweat-equity by participating in the mutual self-help homebuilding program, through which the families commit to work at least 40 hours a week on their own home and on their neighbors’ homes for the construction period of 9 months.
Betsy Mc-Govern Garcia, Project Manager at the Tulare Redevelopment Agency, has been working on many green projects in the city of Tulare and praises the partnership with GRID Alternatives. “The Tulare Redevelopment Agency is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Self-Help Enterprises and GRID Alternatives to assist homeowners in accessing affordable renewable energy solutions. The Gail Estates project is a perfect example of a public and private partnership that resulted in improved communities, affordable housing opportunities, and a more sustainable future for Tulare,” said Garcia.
This project highlights how collaboration between different partners can multiply the benefits that GRID Alternatives can provide to communities in need. “Our partnership with the Tulare Redevelopment Agency has opened many opportunities to help low-income families in Tulare. The collaboration with Fresno City College, Self-Help Enterprises and the Tulare Redevelopment Agency showcases the culmination of our efforts to reach out to affordable housing providers and the benefits that our program brings to green workforce development,” said Tom Esqueda, GRID Alternatives Central Valley Regional Director.
Click here to see pictures of the installation.
