Did you know that GRID North Valley offers workshops for those who want to go more in-depth with their solar education? 

This month our Technical Academy Manager, Steve Geiger, conducted a workshop on Ohm’s Law, a basic electricity calculation and how it's applied to solar system design. The workshop was full of valuable content, covering everything from the basics of electricity to the application of Ohm’s Law for solar system design. 

We reached another huge milestone in the North Valley! This month we celebrated our 100th solar installation for underserved families in Stockton and provided our first electric vehicle charger to the Ahmed family on their single-story home. Through our Energy for All program and Clean Mobility initiative, GRID makes solar power and job training accessible to low-income communities.

We here at GRID North Valley were happy to have our former IBT-200 trainee, Rio take interest in our training program. As one of our youngest participants, his drive and work ethic matched his fellow trainees despite the difference in years of work experience. Rio is a self-driven, intelligent young professional. Alongside excelling in his academics with a 4.0 GPA, Rio ran two online sales businesses while attending high school. 

SunPower has continued to be a supporter of GRID since 2015, and has participated in over 100 of our Sponsored Workday opportunities, which totals to nearly 7,000 volunteer hours! This month eleven staff members from SunPower’s Roseville office participated in team-building activities through volunteering in Marysville for the Mertes family. For some of the team, this was their first time volunteering with GRID. Our client Tiffany, who is a bus driver found out GRID through an advertisement while at work.

Did you know that GRID provides solar for not only single family homes but also multifamily homes through our Energy For All program? We work with affordable housing partners to provide solar and career development services for residents including on-site and free classroom solar education and hands-on training. Through the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program benefits are available for you and your tenants! 

Since the IBT-200 (Installation Basics Training) program launched in January, we have had 3 cohorts successfully graduate, with a 70% job placement rate. IBT-200 is a 5-week, 200-hour solar installation training program. In July, ten trainees, our largest cohort yet, received their OSHA-10 and CPR certification, gained valuable skills, and successfully graduated from the IBT-200 program. So far, four of our most recent trainees have secured job interviews, and overall throughout the program we had 11 job placements out of 16 IBT 200 Interns (not including this new cohort!).

GRID is committed to continuing the conversation on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Several GRID employees had the opportunity to bolster our commitment to those values and explored racial justice issues through a life-changing trip to Montgomery, AL.

Last month, Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy (SAVA) students participated in our Solar Futures program. SAVA is a 7th-12th grade public charter school in Sacramento offering a personalized education path for each of our students. Instead of the traditional one-size-fits-all classroom, SAVA seeks to motivate and encourage students to be independent learners.

June is National Homeownership Month, and this offers a great opportunity to reflect on the impact that homeownership has on household wealth, neighborhood stability and the nation's broader economic health. GRID has a unique opportunity to interact with homeowners in our community on a regular basis. One of our most recent clients, Patricia, shared with us about how she’s utilizing her savings from going solar with GRID. She’s a customer service employee with SMUD of South Sacramento and is the sole provider for a family of 4.

This month, we celebrated the Grand Welcoming of Mutual Housing at Spring Lake, Phase II. Mutual Housing at Spring Lake has gained international attention as the first federally certified Zero Net Energy rental housing development in the United States - and it's affordable. We partnered with Mutual Housing California to install a solar electric system for the second phase of their Spring Lake affordable housing development.