Wells Fargo commits $2 million to low-income solar installs via GRID Alternatives

grid-alternatives

GRID Alternatives is maybe the coolest solar developer in the country. It is a nonprofit organization with the stated goal of bringing clean energy technology and job training to underserved communities through a network of community partners and philanthropic supporters. GRID has installed nearly 8,000 solar electric systems for low-income families and affordable housing providers with a combined installed capacity of more than 28.2 MW, saving nearly $230 million in lifetime electricity costs.

So, it warms the hearts to know that the Wells Fargo Foundation has committed to a four-year, $2 million grant to expand low-income solar access. The grant builds on more than $4 million Wells Fargo has invested in GRID Alternatives since 2008, catalyzing the national expansion of GRID’s work bringing solar power and job training to disadvantaged communities.

RELATED: New York to help fund solar projects for low-income communities 

How the grant will be used

The new grant will continue to seed GRID’s expansion into new areas of the country; support the development of new low-income solar business models, like the low-income community solar models GRID has pioneered in Colorado; and underwrite an expansion of GRID’s existing Solar Spring Break program into a National Collegiate Network connecting college students around the country with careers in the clean energy industry, with a focus on schools serving diverse populations.

Wells Fargo made its first donation to support GRID’s work in California in 2008. In 2012 the company provided a five-year, $2 million grant to help GRID Alternatives expand service into Colorado, the New York tri-state region, the Mid-Atlantic, and Native American communities across the United States. Most recently in 2015, Wells Fargo and GRID Alternatives teamed up on the Troops to Solar initiative, providing solar workforce training to 1,000 veterans over three years. Wells Fargo employees also volunteer on GRID Alternatives installations across the country, logging nearly 4500 hours to-date.

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