Officials from GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar-power company, hosted a press conference on Dec. 1 to celebrate the completion of its 200th project in Long Beach. Seventeen solar panels were installed into the home of resident Laura Hill as part of a joint effort with other nonprofit groups to refurbish the low-income house. Pictured here is a construction crew installing the solar panels as the press conference takes place below.
GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar-power company, hosted a press conference on Dec. 1 to celebrate the completion of its 200th project in the city, which was considered a company milestone representing “financial relief for Long Beach residents and a commitment to the environment.”
The nonprofit’s 200th project was the final step in improving the home of resident Laura Hill, who had her rooftop refurbished through a connection from members of the Southern California Helpful Honda Dealers.
Rebuilding Together Long Beach, a nonprofit organization that develops partnerships to rebuild low-income homes, met with Hill and connected her to various groups, including GRID Alternatives, to renovate her home.
Representatives from the office of 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez were also present during the press conference to recognize the performance of the nonprofit organizations.
Stella Ursua, director of outreach and partnerships for GRID Alternatives, told the Signal Tribune she was happy to see a partnership with Rebuilding Together Long Beach that helped someone in need.
“[Hill] is almost getting a brand-new house,” Ursua said. “She is going to save between 50 to 90 percent on her energy bills.”
Ursua said she was looking for more homeowners to take advantage of the partnerships she has established with other nonprofit groups.
These solar-energy installations are possible via GRID Alternative’s funding through the State’s Cap-and-Trade Program, which creates incentives for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution, according to calrecycle.ca.gov.
Michael Kadish, executive director for GRID Alternatives in the Greater Los Angeles area, said the company began some of its first projects in the Long Beach harbor.
“This community is a place where we have been working for over a decade,” he said. “The desire for clean energy in this community is really big.”
He added that the nonprofit has worked in west and north Long Beach.
The solar-energy panels provided by GRID Alternatives can reduce the cost of residents’ energy bills, according to Kadish.
“If they can save that extra $50 or $100 a month that’s going to make a big difference,” he said. “The average household here in Long Beach makes about $50,000 to $60,000 a year.”
Kadish said GRID Alternatives focuses on including low-income neighborhoods in the solar-energy business.
Danny Hom, development and communications associate for GRID Alternatives, said the company wants to develop solar energy in Beverly Hills and Compton, as well, referencing the nonprofit’s goal to make clean energy inclusive.
Methods to introduce clean energy into the city are not foreign to Long Beach. On Sept. 15, California State University, Long Beach publicly unveiled its massive solar installations erected above the campus’s parking spaces.
Despite President Donald Trump removing the United States from the Paris Climate Accord— a United Nations agreement to address greenhouse-gas emissions mitigation— it was reported in a previous Signal Tribune article that Mayor Robert Garcia and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti met to reaffirm their joint commitment to clean-air goals and timelines for their respective ports.
Kadish stated multiple times during the press conference on Dec. 1 that clean energy will expand more in the future.
“Unfortunately, I think we don’t have the same leadership in Washington that we used to have,” he said during an interview with the Signal Tribune. “Thankfully, here in California, and here in Long Beach, we have strong leadership that understands that climate change is a real issue. It is impacting our communities and if we have good policies we can help families save money, create jobs and have a better environment.”
Norman Graham, a construction leader for GRID Alternatives (center), instructed his crew of students who installed 17 Trina-class solar panels on a Long Beach home while a press conference is in session below. The clean-energy nonprofit Gaham works for conducts on-the-job training for students from various technical schools and support groups to prepare them for jobs in the solar-energy business.
The crew of construction workers mounted atop Hill’s home at E. 16th Street was composed of students from the East Los Angeles Skills Center.
Hom said the nonprofit receives trainees from various technical schools, including Homeboy Industries— an anti-gang group dedicated to supporting formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women through training and education.
GRID Alternatives has placed 90 people in solar-energy-related jobs this year, according to Hom. Throughout the nonprofit’s lifetime, it has placed 300 people in the clean-energy business.
He said the trainees do not need to have engineering degrees to get a job with GRID Alternatives. The nonprofit asks applicants to have basic understanding of how energy works and knowledge about photovoltaic devices— electrical gadgets that convert the energy of light directly into electricity.
Norman Graham, a construction leader for GRID Alternatives, instructed his crew of students who worked on installing the 17 Trina-class solar panels on Hill’s home while the press conference was in session.
In an interview with the Signal Tribune, he said he believes his guidance will help future generations as his teachings will be passed down by his students. He said the installation process took two days to complete and it was similar to teaching in a classroom.
“You want to pretend that nobody knows [anything] and you start from scratch,” he said. “Then you train the folks that have the experience, and you train them to train the other folks that don’t.”
Graham started at GRID Alternatives as a volunteer in 2009. He was fully hired three years later. Ten years ago, Graham retired from the military. He said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sent him to school, where he pursued solar-energy education.
“When I went for a job interview, the guy said, ‘You don’t know anything,'” he said. “I thought, ‘Of course, I used to be in the military,’ but he said, ‘Go to GRID Alternatives and they’ll teach you stuff.’ And I did.”
Graham commuted from Temecula to Bakersfield to attend GRID Alternatives’ orientation. Once he completed preliminary tasks with the nonprofit, Graham said he began to give back to other students.
“Whatever I give is going to help the next generation because I’m helping one young person climb that ladder,” Graham said. “I’d rather meet them here, teaching them things, than in a parking lot with a gun asking me for money. That’s what I think I’m always alleviating. I’m giving them an option.”
