So far, solar panels have been installed on 175 homes in Pacoima, including the Zúñigas. The program is being led by the grassroots group Pacoima Beautiful, who in 2018 partnered with GRID Alternatives and other public and private partners (the Green Together Collaborative) and were awarded $23 million from the state (plus more than $38 million in leveraged funds).
GRID Alternatives is a nonprofit working to provide economic and environmental justice through renewable energy, installing solar electric systems for qualifying families at no cost to the homeowner.
Funded by a public utility, this remodeling project updated urban residences with renewable solar energy systems using roofing products made from upcycled materials and featuring solar reflective and smog-reducing granules.
GRID GLA are celebrating the $500,000 award that was given from JP Morgan Chase Bank in support of their Behind the Walls Solar workforce training program. The Behind the Walls training program will “prepare women who were formerly incarcerated in LA County Lynwood Women’s Jail for career opportunities in solar and renewable energy.
Whatever the Public Utilities Commission decides, going solar won’t be as easy for most people as it was for Marta Patricia Martinez, because most people won't have their costs covered by a nonprofit such as GRID Alternatives.
