GRID Alternatives believes that economic and environmental sustainability must go hand-in-hand, particularly in California’s low-income communities that have been hit hardest by unemployment, recession, and pollution. Our flagship Solar Affordable Housing Program trains and leads teams of job trainees and other community members to install solar electric systems for low-income families throughout California. Every project generates “triple bottom line” results: measurable, long-term financial benefits for low-income families struggling to keep up with monthly expenses; real-world, hands-on experience for local workers in the growing field of solar installation; and environmental benefits by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and building support for solar power as a mainstream solution for all of our communities.

GRID Alternatives is a both a nonprofit organization and a licensed solar installer. We install solar electric systems exclusively for low-income families, and we do it in a way that engages everyone in the solution.  GRID Alternatives provides the system design and engineering, obtains building permits, procures equipment, prepares and submits rebate and utility interconnection paperwork, and provides an industry-standard 10-year labor warranty.  We then go beyond that to make sure we are engaging and educating families, helping them install energy efficiency and weatherization measures before they go solar, providing hands on experience to local job trainees, and educating the broader community about the benefits of solar power and its intersection with jobs and economic justice. These services are typically provided without charge to the homeowners through the financial support of the SASH incentive or other solar incentive programs, local government agencies, private foundations, corporate sponsors and individual donors.