GRID Alternatives Greater Los Angeles ended a week that was packed with residential installs by doing something that made us proud indeed: adding nine modules and panels to the Paramount, CA residence of the Green family! Like her fellow homeowners who choose to "go green with GRID," retired nurse Naomi Green values her community, her community's air quality, and her own ability to live comfortably. Naturally, she was excited to bring her priorities that much closer within reach by receiving no-cost solar, a decision she made after hearing GLA Outreach Coordinator Orlanda Cunningham make her case for the benefits of GRID's unique clean energy. Over a period of two days, we installed a custom-designed system that will make the Greens' typical electricity bill (over $200) shrink to a fraction of its former size.
With the Green family's gracious blessing, we brought together a group of community, civic, and corporate stakeholders to their install to announce a major new donation of panels from Tesla. The Tesla team has made a gift of solar equipment that will empower GRID Alternatives offices around the country to do more work serving disadvantaged populations, including hardworking families like the Greens who deserve relief from high bills and highly polluted neighborhood environments. These 569 kW of donated equipment will also unlock 15,000 hours of hands-on training through GRID's unique community participation model. As one of our Installation Basic Training (IBT) graduates remarked at the event, there is plenty of opportunity ahead for those who want to get involved in a dynamic, innovative industry.
We were pleased to have partners from across Los Angeles County out to the Green installation/event in Paramount, giving us the chance to share the good news of the equipment donation. It was also a chance for us to cultivate more interest in our work within the Paramount community – and given the day's success, we think we'll be back in Paramount soon! Want to find out how to take advantage of opportunities that GRID's Los Angeles program offers individuals? Check out gridsolar.org to learn about what going solar means for people like you, and click here to explore how job training continues to expand impact GRID-wide.