Marius Cucurny starts from the top and always moves slowly and deliberately, with attention to every detail in the classroom. "We measure intensity in current," he tells his assembled students. "We measure that in amps. And we have also said that sometimes we measure smaller current. For that we use the little m, milliamps."
This hot, humid evening in Santa Ana, Marius' students are huddled around a set of tables, with beverages at their sides and pencils clutched in their hands. Most of them have walked up the stairs to the second-floor classroom space from their homes in City Gardens Apartments, a LINC Housing Corp community in Orange County. What is conspicuous about each of the students is that they don't have any background in solar photovoltaics; most have had past experience with the technology only when they see a construction team passing by the area. But here they are: surrounded by familiar faces, getting a full-fledged solar training program on a weeknight.
"One priority of our Workforce Development program here at GRID is to bring access to renewable energy technologies and real world hands-on training to individuals in communities that may not have otherwise known," explains Adewale OgunBadejo, Workforce Development Manager. "Here at City Gardens, bringing our services to residents directly aligns with our values and mission. This is what makes us unique as a solar non-profit: not just installing solar for our clients but bringing complimentary training to interested individuals in those very same communities, opening the door to green career opportunities." The trainees to whom Adewale refers to can be as young as sixteen or as old as they choose, but regardless of age, they need to come with passion and readiness to serve others while building valuable skills. Whether they are building on years of experience in the workplace or planning out their first career move, GRID Alternatives is willing to meet them at the level they're at while giving them a second to none training experience.
In late 2016, GRID Alternatives reached an agreement with Marius to utilize his solar education expertise. A veteran instructor with experience on renewable energy projects around the world, Marius is CEO at the not-for-profit Tierra Institute International. Tierra Institute and its affiliated organizations like Tierra Institut International Catalunya work with local partners to meet the needs of communities in "energy poverty." Here in Orange County, the role of an instructor with Marius' breadth of experience is to teach ordinary people what solar can do for their economic and social needs, and to help them master the science behind it.
By taking the GRID Alternatives-sponsored training, residents are pursuing what might be a literal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive culturally-competent, customized education that opens the door to a sustainable career. Juan, one of the residents who watches Marius write P (power) = E (voltage) I (intensity) on the whiteboard, explains that he and his teenage daughter don't have a whole lot of time together working on shared activities. But both of them are drawn to the multiweek program that GRID offers, which incorporates Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification and up-close looks at an ongoing GRID multifamily project that happens onsite. When Marius asks whether the 60-watt bulbs in Juan's living room lights are probably using the same amount of amps all the time, he looks to his daughter for input. The two of them decide (correctly) that the answer is probably no.
Adewale has seen highly-skilled and motivated people from low-income backgrounds chart their way into the fast-growing clean energy industry before, especially when they have access to the right resources, and he knows it's possible for residents here in City Gardens. "You can see the spark in their eyes. Opportunities like these build a better tomorrow. The sky is the limit for us, because we have so many more people to reach. We know clean power technology is here to stay, and we just have to make sure everyone receives the invite."
Marius, for his own part, is committed to the positive societal outcomes his training makes possible. Since 2010, the program he implements through TII has specialized in "facilitating and encouraging mobility of people, preferably youth in training of limited resources, at risk or living in disadvantaged areas or communities, for their education and professional, cultural and environmental protection." As he moves the students through an electrical lesson focused on series, he has the nurturing air of an experienced teacher, and his lesson plan flows from one topic to another without leaving anyone in the group behind.
The City Gardens solar training, which will benefit residents at no cost, is part of an overarching GRID Alternatives plan to introduce renewable energy to people who stand to benefit from better jobs and cleaner neighborhoods. If it seems like a bold experiment, that's because no other solar installer working in Orange County is doing it. Alex Turek, Multifamily Development Manager, explains, "As a non-profit, we are able to put the client and their residents above all else, and extend these unique programs. Recruiting residents to learn about solar and then install the very panels that they themselves would be financially benefitting from was really a no-brainer." This is really what makes GRID Alternatives special—and for the community in Marius' classroom, the value of this training is clear. "It's so cool to be able to do this," offers Hai, one of the young men sitting in the classroom. Hai wanted to work in engineering many years ago, and now, he says, "The future is [looking] bright."