Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti visited a live installation in South Los Angeles today to highlight the city’s commitment to sustainability as GRID GLA announced our LA 500 pledge in support of LA’s Sustainable City pLAn.
Through the LA 500 pledge, GRID GLA is committing to provide no-cost rooftop solar to 500 low-income families in single- and multi-family dwellings and provide hands-on solar workforce training to 500 individuals in Los Angeles in the next two years.
“LA500 is a win win win for everybody,” said Mayor Garcetti, “This pulls together so many of the great things about LA.”
Before the program began, Mr. Garcetti took the time to personally greet the crew of job trainees from East Los Angeles Skills Center/Homeboy Industries, LA Trade Tech and West Valley Occupational Center who were out with us installing the system, as well as homeowner Tina Neal and her extended family. Mrs. Neal, a Long Beach native, got her home in Los Angeles with the help of GRID partner Restore Neighborhood LA. The 4kW system is expected to save her about $740 per year in electricity costs, a big help for her and the six grandkids who live with her.
“It’s an incredible thing to work on policy and then see the actual stories behind it,” said Mr. Garcetti. “My head is swimming and my heart is swelling at this announcement.”
LA 500 is expected to add up to 1.6 megawatts (MW) of new solar capacity in the City of Los Angeles, and could save families up to $15 million on utility bills over the lifetime of their solar systems, preventing up to 30,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to taking 5,800 cars off the road for a year. GRID GLA has installed more than 1,100 solar systems across the region to-date, including over 100 in the City of Los Angeles. These installations have provided nearly 71,000 hours of workforce training to nearly 3,500 individuals, and GRID GLA has helped place more than 220 local workers in jobs with the solar industry.
“The work we do at GRID is only possible because of the efforts of leaders and advocates across California and the country who understand that tackling climate change will only be possible when every community has access to the solutions and benefits,” said GRID GLA Executive Director Michael Kadish. “Here in Los Angeles we are grateful to have such a leader in our Mayor.”