On June 20th, 2012, the North Valley Regional Office celebrated GRID Alternatives' first year of service in Northern California. Executive Director and Co-founder Erica Mackie, P.E. welcomed a crowd of North Valley team leaders, University professors, community college staff, City, County and other non-profit housing partners and more, inviting them to join GRID's upward momentum and help solarize communities in need right here in the North Valley.
Before the luncheon, guests browsed a number of informational and interactive displays featuring different aspects of GRID's Solar Affordable Housing Program; job training and volunteerism, client eligibility and the North Valley's impact calculator. Guests toured our warehouse and talked solar technology specifics while viewing the mock roof. Our first clients, the Metzger family, were in attendance and said they had not paid a single dollar for electricity since their system was installed in October 2011.
"If we can do it in Chico, we can do it nationwide," Erica Mackie proclaimed during her lunch program presentation. Speaking of GRID Alternatives' plans for national expansion, she says, "The rest of the nation looks less like Oakland, and a lot more like Chico, California."
GRID Alternatives is a non-profit solar contractor installing solar electric systems exclusively for low-income households. The North Valley regional office is GRID's newest office established in 2011 and serving over 20 counties in the north central valley. The North Valley office will install approximately 160 systems for families in need in 2012 alone. Statewide, GRID Alternatives will assist over 1,000 low-income homeowners this year.
To find out more about our programs in the North Valley, and to find out how you can get involved, contact infonv@gridalternatives.org