Solar panels installed on an energy-efficient home can yield real savings. Watkins will save at least $600 on his BGE bill because he has weatherized his home, and generates solar energy on his rooftop.
Thirty-one homes in the Morgan Community Miles of Baltimore, Maryland, are receiving the benefits of solar power thanks to a partnership between the City of Baltimore, the US Department of Energy, Civic Works, GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic,. Baltimore Energy Challenge, and Morgan State University.
Renewable energy created jobs nearly 17 times faster than the rest of the economy in 2016, yet a common argument against the industry is that it costs traditional energy jobs, harming more workers and families than it benefits. A new initiative in Washington is aiming to put this myth to rest by showing that renewable energy not only creates jobs, but also improves society as a whole.
Turnage and Garner were two of five trainees who recently installed solar panels at the Woodland home of retiree Catherine Bennett, 78. “I knew I needed a little help” with the electricity bill, said Bennett, who has lived in the house in Southeast Washington for 41 years. “This may help me some.” Decked out in green hard hats, yellow T-shirts, and harnesses, the trainees were supervised by members of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, the regional branch of a national nonprofit group that helps implement solar power for low- to moderate-income families free.
A new program touted by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser aims to install solar panels on nearly 300 homes of low-income D.C. families. Leaders say the panels will save the families nearly $600 a year in energy costs.
Today, Mayor Bowser kicked off the first cohort of Solar Works DC, a job training program that installs cost-saving solar energy systems on the homes of low-income residents. A joint effort between the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and the Department of Employment Services, the program will provide on-the-job technical training to more than 200 DC residents between the ages of 18 to 24 and reduce energy costs for up to 300 DC residents by as much as $600 annually.
