Environmental Justice

Across the District of Columbia, 42 families are now benefiting from the financial savings that solar power provides, thanks to a partnership between GRID Alternatives and The DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU). GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic just finished up these solar installations in DC this summer through DCSEU’s Affordable Solar Program. GRID was chosen to be one of the program’s primary solar installers. The DCSEU’s Affordable Solar Program just completed its fifth year, and has already begun work on next year’s projects.
GRID co-founder Erica Mackie is featured in three videos from our longtime partner Enphase Energy to celebrate 10 years of innovation. The three part series looks at the growth of solar in the past decade, the inflection point we are at today, and the future we envision.

As the cost of solar technology continues to drop, more Americans – and DC residents – are opting to install rooftop solar panels to defray electricity costs and green their homes. Ashley David, a DC teenager, urged her family to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on their Northeast DC home, and in May the David home became the symbolic one millionth solar installation in the US.

Everyone was standing under the shade of the trees to stay out of the scorching sun. When Tommy Wells of DC’s Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) started speaking, groups gathered close together under tents to hear him introduce the signing of the Renewable Portfolio Energy Standard Expansion Act of 2016 (RPS), which was introduced by Councilmember Mary Cheh and was signed into law on July 25th, 2016, by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The District of Columbia will now join the ranks of states with aggressive renewable energy targets, such as California, New York and, more recently, Oregon. A month after the District of Columbia Council unanimously approved legislation to target 50% renewables, Bowser signed the legislation and gave a preview of the city's plan to turn it into a boon for both employment and the environment.

"I am so grateful for this opportunity. More importantly - it's a win-win-win for everybody," said Theresa Jones, homeowner in Baltimore City, after just having solar installed on her home. Ms. Jones addressed a crowd of people gathered in her backyard, all huddled under tents in order to stay out of the summer’s blazing sun. Ms. Jones’ solar installation was the site of a Memorandum of Understanding signing by the City of Baltimore, Maryland Clean Energy Center, and the US Department of Energy (US DOE) to commit to finding long-term solutions for financing low-income solar in Baltimore. GRID Alternatives was thrilled to host the occasion marking this important step in making solar energy accessible to everyone.