The GRID Alternatives Multi-Family Commercial Team participated in the Housing California Conference on March 27-28, 2023 at the Town Country Convention Center in San Diego, California.  This year’s theme is Housing’s Next Chapter. As we enter the third year of a global pandemic, we have witnessed a historic response from both state and federal leadership and impactful shifts in resources and funding which urge us to think about how to carve a path towards housing justice that is intersectional, equitable, and urgent. 

This year, we witnessed unprecedented federal, state and utility investments in transportation electrification and equity. This means that implementers, the people and agencies responsible for using these funds, are working to ensure that implementation and program design drive substantial, measurable benefits to individuals and families that need them the most. But what does it really mean to go beyond "checking the box" for equity? And how will new investment dollars, allocated to implement equitable clean mobility programs, drive measurable benefits for income-qualified households?

Since 1998, Trolly Trestle in Chula Vista, California, has offered affordable transitional housing for former foster youth and homeless youth while they finish school or complete job training. GRID's HQ Multifamily and Commercial solar team recently installed a 25.6 kilowatt system on the transitional housing center.

GRID aims to connect mission-driven organizations like Trolley Trestle with clean energy tools that maximize benefits for underserved communities, including integrating workforce development opportunities.

Sierra Schultz (she/her) works on the HQ Construction team as a Commercial Project Manager. She joined GRID in 2021, with a background in Civil Engineering and experience in managing Heavy-Civil Construction projects. Her role focuses on climate justice through engineering and project management. Sierra has managed PV installations throughout California, while co-leading two affinity groups at GRID.

As one of the nation's largest nonprofit providers of quality, affordable housing, Volunteers of America (VOA) is one of our mission-aligned partners at GRID Alternatives. VOA manages income-qualified housing, and they are a leader in providing housing for seniors. Learn more about how GRID Alternatives has installed solar panels on VAO projects: East Cliff Village, Valley Oaks, and Rolling Oaks!

We call for a resilient and sustainable clean energy system, where solar power and battery storage can help individuals, families, and communities access energy in the aftermath of these storms, and every day in between.

Recently, GRID installed 20 off-grid solar-powered refrigerators for families in the Kumeyaay communities of Juntas de Neji and San Antonio Necua with support from Sempra Foundation. Refrigeration allows families to keep food, beverages, and medicine cold without having to drive 20-40 minutes to a nearby town to buy ice. The solar systems immediately save families time, money and improve health.

“I believe climate change represents both one of the greatest threats to our way of life, but also one of the greatest opportunities for economic development and job creation, and I do believe tribes can and should lead the way to a clean energy transition.” Waleah Johns, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs

Wells Fargo made its first philanthropic donation to support GRID’s work in California. In 2018, Wells Fargo provided a $5 million philanthropic grant over three years to support GRID’s Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund. Most recently in 2022, GRID Alternatives received a $500,000 philanthropic grant from Wells Fargo for its Welcome Home Initiative, an enterprise-wide employee engagement initiative that aims to create a deeper sense of community pride and collective purpose in support of Wells Fargo’s commitment to affordable and sustainable housing.

As part of this effort, Wells Fargo employees have the opportunity to participate in over 10 GRID Alternatives solar installation projects across the country.