GRID Alternatives Inland Empire

GRID Alternatives Inland Empire was formed in 2009 by Erica Mackie (P.E.) and Tim Sears (P.E.), two engineers who wanted to expand access to clean, free electricity from the sun. The duo had been working on large-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the private sector. Their idea was simple. Everyone should have access to clean, free electricity from the sun. They created GRID Alternatives to help low-income communities make solar PV technology affordable and provide pathways for clean energy jobs. The installation of the first of many systems that GRID Inland Empire would install over the years happened in 2010 for a deserving family in San Jacinto, Riverside County. In 2004, GRID Alternatives installed its first single family home for the Cubas family in San Francisco, and within a year, the California Public Utilities Commission selected GRID Alternatives to be the statewide program administrator for the innovative Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) incentive program. This visionary initiative led to a rapid expansion of the program across California. GRID has become a leader in low-income solar policy and the largest non-profit solar installer in the country, serving families in California, Colorado, and the Mid-Atlantic and tribal communities across the United States. Inland Empire is one of ten regional offices that have worked to carry out this important mission for over a decade now, with the support of 20 AmeriCorps and Vista members, a large staff of installers and outreach staff, and an even larger number of individual and corporate volunteers. GRID's core program, Energy For All Program, formerly known as the Solar Affordable Housing Program, offers a variety of comprehensive solar and/or energy storage services for single-family, multiple-family, and community solar installations, as well as project development, technical assistance, and support. GRID also offers workforce development, service learning, volunteerism, solar training, paid internships, and varying levels of worker development to ensure that low-income families and those facing other barriers to workforce entry can benefit from the opportunities of the clean technology economy. GRID Inland Empire has also partnered with GRID Mexico to help them set up their first solar installation in 2021, GRID Nicaragua to support them in developing their solar workforce, and GRID Nepal to help them address their electrification problems.

Reviews of Grid Alternatives EI Training and Volunteering reveal and the organization's commitment to creating accessible and cheap solar power installations. and for the wider community, making it an ambitious initiative. It is focused on scholars and professionals, with more than half of its users being students, volunteers, and interns. Most reviews are good when it comes to the training aspect provided by Grid Alternatives EI, and this makes it easy to find and choose a program here. Many of the enthusiastic learner's described the skills they gained in previous jobs and the praise they received from mentors and supervisors. One trainee calls the work result good and satisfying. This is not a direct citation but this is how it feels to me and is captured by the executives responding to user reviews for the AESP and adding that they are proud to train newbies in the energy-saving sector and give back to Pearson.