Solar Affordable Housing Program

Through our flagship Solar Affordable Housing Program, we train and lead teams of community volunteers to bring the benefits of renewable energy technology to low-income families who need it most. This program brings together economic and environmental sustainability by helping low-income homeowners install solar electric systems on their own homes. We focus on communities that have been disproportionately impacted by high energy prices and the environmental health burdens of traditional power plants.

We work with a network of partner agencies to design and install solar electric systems for both new affordable homes and existing homes of low-income homeowners. We are both a nonprofit community agency and a California licensed electrical contractor. This means we handle everything from client outreach and education to system planning, obtaining building permits, preparing and submitting rebate and utility paperwork, and providing an industry-standard warranty for each system. Our volunteers also implement basic energy efficiency upgrades for all clients to reduce energy demand at the source.

For the actual installations, our staff trains teams of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds on the theory and practice of solar electric system installation. Our low-income clients typically provide direct “sweat equity” by working as part of this volunteer installation team. We then lead the team to install solar electric systems on one or more homes, with assistance from a network of local professional contractors who volunteer as team leaders to provide additional technical assistance.

These services are provided through the financial support of local government agencies, private foundations, corporate sponsors and individual donors. The solar equipment is paid for either through grants, or in some cases through a low/no interest low-income home rehabilitation loan from the local City or County housing department. For the clients who take out a loan, we ensure that the energy savings from the solar electric system exceed any loan payments, so that they come out ahead financially from day one. Many of our clients qualify to defer all payments on the loan until they sell their homes.

Our Volunteer page has more information about becoming a Solar Affordable Housing Program volunteer, and our Clients page has more information about becoming a client. You can also see photos of our installations at our PicasaWeb site.

Job Training Partnerships

As the Green Collar Jobs movement continues to gather steam, more job training organizations are starting solar installation training programs. GRID Alternatives partners with many of these organizations to provide hands-on opportunities for trainees to work on an actual solar installation. In addition, GRID Alternatives has an in-house Solar Installation Trainee position, designed as a twelve week paid internship for graduates of a solar job training program that need more solar installation experience in order to land a full-time job in the solar industry. To support these job training efforts, GRID Alternatives has developed the GRID Alternatives Solar Installer Training Site with information and resources for GRID Alternatives trainees, trainers, and others interested in vocational solar training.