SolarCorps

Welcome to our February edition of our Staff Spotlight feature, where we share a brief interview to introduce you to some of our amazing staff members here at GRID Bay Area! This month we are introducing you to our SolarCorps Workforce Development and Volunteerism Fellow, Marissa Leshnov! Marissa’s friendly attitude shines just as brightly as the sun as she welcomes the Bay Area’s hundreds of volunteers and job trainees into our solar community.

Solarthon, a solar installation block party and fundraiser is an annual event held by GRID Alternatives. It is a wonderful way for GRID staff and volunteers to get together and help a local community while also raising funds to continue the work that we do.

As part of our annual Central Valley Solarthon, which was held this year in the City of Orange Cove on December 2nd, representatives from Bank of America presented a check in the amount of $500,000 to support our GRID Alternatives SolarCorps Fellowship Program.  SolarCorps Fellows come from various backgrounds and parts of the country; this program provides hand-on experience in the field of solar photovoltaics as well as builds administrative skills, program knowledge and work experience in numerous renewable energy job categories.

Welcome to the next installment of our Staff Spotlight feature, where we share a brief interview to introduce you to some of our amazing staff members here at GRID Bay Area! This month we'd like to introduce Becky Sorensen, our GRID Bay Area SolarCorps Construction Fellow. With a background in computer science and organizational behavior. Becky worked in systems consulting, marketing operations, and was even a yoga instructor for a time before deciding to make a transition into solar construction.

Pronouns: she/her

Welcome to the next installment of our Staff Spotlight feature, where we share a brief interview to introduce you to some of our amazing staff members here at GRID Bay Area! This month we’d like to introduce you to, Matt Kroll, our System Designer and self-proclaimed hippie. After making his own solar generator from scratch for Burning Man, Matt turned to GRID for job training in the solar industry and eventually became a SolarCorps Fellow. When he’s not designing solar systems for GRID’s clients, Matt enjoys making funky electronic music.

Do you know someone who is considering changing careers? If so, one of the fastest growing segments of the Inland Empire economy is solar. According a study commissioned by Next 10 and reported by the Riverside Press Enterprise, state climate policies have driven $9 billion in direct economic benefits and supported 41,000 jobs in the Inland Empire over the last seven years. The demand continues for skilled workers as there are currently over 80 positions for solar related jobs open in the Inland Empire.