Environmental Justice

Think Progress - New Program Will Make D.C. A Leader On Renewable Energy

By the year 2032, half of D.C.'s energy will be from renewable energy, as required by the new Renewable Portfolio Standard signed into law today by DC Mayor Bowser.  At least 5 percent of this clean energy will be from solar, with a program that will allow 100,000 low-income residents to benefit from solar energy-savings by 2032. 

DC.Gov - Mayor Bowser Signs Renewable Portfolio Standard Bill into Law

Today, Mayor Bowser of the District of Columbia signed the Renewable Portfolio Standard Expansion Act of 2016 into Law. This legislation, which was introduced by Councilmember Cheh and unanimously passed by the Council, will simultaneously increase the use of clean energy in DC, bring clean energy and energy savings to 100,000 low-income homeowners by the year 2032, and will create hundreds of clean energy jobs each year. 

D.C. Council passes bill that will include “Solar for All”

Washington D.C. just took a major step forward to advance climate action goals by increasing the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 50% by 2032. This means that 50% of all energy generation must come from renewable energy sources, which means more wind and more solar! Included in the bill is a 5% solar carve-out that includes a “Solar for All” program intended specifically for low-income households. This is where GRID Alternatives comes in. As the nation’s largest non-profit solar installer, we intend to help the District achieve its goals of helping 100,000 low-income households reduce electricity costs through solar and energy efficiency.

Partnership Creates Solar Success
When Richmond-resident Kirk Essler first heard about GRID in the local newspaper, he thought that solar at no cost for income-qualified families just sounded too good to be true. “I knew my house was perfect for solar,” he explained, “…but if something sounds like such a good deal, you have to be cautious. But I went ahead and applied – I had nothing to lose.”

International Women’s Month – Celebrating in Menlo Park
Retired great-grandmother Gloria Williams knows first-hand about the changes in Silicon Valley: she has seen it all over the last 40 years she’s lived in her split-level home in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park. This March, as millions across the globe celebrated International Women’s Month, Gloria wrote a new page in Belle Haven’s history as the first recipient of a GRID solar system.