2020 Year in Review

GRID Alternatives continues to make a huge impact on the communities we serve, despite this challenging Covid-19 pandemic year. Here’s an overview of GRID Alternative Inland Empire’s (GRID IE) accomplishments in 2020:

TCC ONTARIO

• GRID IE signed a partnership agreement with the City of Ontario in January of this year and launched TCC Ontario Solar Homes Initiative & Neighborhood Empowerment (SHINE) Program. To date, there have been over 50 active solar projects in Ontario. Sixteen single-family solar installations, four approved for construction, 18 approved single-family applications, and 19 pre-screened qualified/homeowner applications are being processed.

COMMUNITY | MULTIFAMILY | TRIBAL SOLAR

• California’s first low-income community solar project was installed in June of this year: CSD Santa Rosa Community Solar Project, a 1 MW solar electric system on the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation.

• The first Ontario Multifamily Solar Project: Vista Verde, a 190 kW of rooftop solar and 164 kW of carport solar, broke ground in the fall of 2020 and is slated to be complete by the end of this month.

• GRID Alternatives was awarded $1.7 million to install solar with a backup battery (microgrid) on the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians in the City of San Jacinto (55kW DC). Carport and resilient batteries last 6-10 hours in case the power shuts off. The fire station will be an emergency source of power for the tribal community.

• The first solar ever installed Tribal Solar Accelerator fund (TSAF) funded project, The Big Pine Water Pumphouse Well, for Big Pine Paiute Tribe (370 kW DC) was installed.

• Two TSAF awarded ground mount tribal solar projects for the Cahuilla Band of Indians y Torres Martinez Cahuilla Band of Indians se instalaron.

EV/BATTERY STORAGE

• GRID signed an agreement for Comisión de Servicios Públicos de California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP, a CA battery storage program) in partnership with Swell Energy Inc. y Sunrun for battery storage. GRID IE will be doing marketing and outreach to procure applicants.

• The Clean Vehicle Assistance Program-Clean Mobility Pilot was funded to promote the clean vehicle access program and installation of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations for the Torres Martinez Cahuilla Band of Indians.

WORKFORCE & VOLUNTEER/JOB TRAINING

• Three SolarCorps fellows completed their AmeriCorps service in September.

• 100 Solar Futures students were onboarded for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Five tribal trainees, members of the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indian Tribe, were hired for 5-weeks of intensive paid training as general laborers on the CSD 1MW solar project.

• GRID IE hosted 14 Interns:

  • Seven paid interns through Riverside County Department Public Social Services y Colegio del Desierto Solar Training Cohort program, with two continuing as part of our newest SolarCorps fellows who started in October 2020.

  • Four paid interns through TCC Ontario, and with one incoming intern to join our team before the end of the year.

  • Four volunteer interns to support Photovoltaic (PV) Design, Communications and Workforce & Volunteerism

Thank you to all of our supporters in 2020! GRID IE Partners & Supporters

We look forward to a bright 2021 and continuing to make affordable solar technology and solar job training accessible to communities everywhere!