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Grid Alternative team installing solar panels in Compton, CA
Approximately 1,600 impoverished households in California are set to get free or low cost solar panels for their homes. Saving precious dollars for California's poorest residents
and converting their homes to a renewable energy source? Sounds like a
win-win for the Golden State:
The arrays will save most homeowners $400 to $1,000 per year on electricity, depending on where they live.
The annual savings for the residents who get the solar panels may not sound like much, but for those below the poverty level, every dollar counts:
“These systems are saving families money every month for food, for clothes, for medical expenses,” said Julian Foley, communications director for Grid Alternatives.
California state Senator Kevin de Leon was at an event celebrating the first installation and had this to say:
“I introduced SB 535 in 2011 to ensure that our disproportionately impacted communities benefit from investments in clean energy,” said Senator de León, who spoke at the event. “These investments will bring energy savings, quality jobs, and environmental benefits where they are needed most.”
The installation was completed by a team of job trainees from the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, providing those students with hands-on experience that will help them access the growing solar job market. The 2.5 kW solar electric system will provide an estimated $818 electricity cost savings in the first year for Roy Rivera, a disabled man who lives on a fixed income, and $22,800 over its 30-year lifetime.
"We hope the savings will help defray some of my medical costs,” said Mr. Rivera, who bought his home two years ago through NeighborWorks, one of our affordable housing partners. "When you have a budget like ours, which is stretched just about as far as you can go, it makes a big difference.”
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