Edison Volunteers Help Families Transition to Clean Energy
The nonprofit GRID Alternatives resumes solar panel installations as pandemic restrictions ease.
Nonprofit GRID Alternatives Inland Empire works to install solar panels on the residences of families who might not otherwise be able to afford them, and at the same time, provides hands-on job training for prospective solar industry workers. But throughout the pandemic, those activities were severely curtailed because of health-related concerns.
On a recent sunny Saturday, a group of Edison International and Southern California Edison volunteers became the first to resume solar installations since pandemic restrictions were lifted. Two income-qualified families in Ontario are the beneficiaries of rooftop solar systems that could save them more than $30,000 in energy costs over the lifetimes of their solar arrays.
Both families will be helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California. Their systems together have the environmental impact of removing 170 tons of carbon from the air — the equivalent of planting nearly 4,000 trees.
Edison International has partnered with GRID Alternatives since 2010, providing 10 grants totaling $460,000 to make renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities. A recent $75,000 grant will support clean energy projects in the Inland Empire and provide hands-on solar installation experience for local workers.
SCE's EcoIQ Business Resource Group, which promotes environmental sustainability at the workplace and home, hosted the solar installation.
"Edison, EcoIQ and GRID Alternatives share a commitment to working with our communities to become more sustainable," said Stephen Collins, SCE risk management senior advisor and EcoIQ president. "We're proud to partner with GRID Alternatives to deliver clean energy and renewable resources to the communities we serve, including Ontario."
Efforts to implement affordable renewable energy sources, especially for California's most vulnerable residents, are detailed in Pathway 2045, SCE's blueprint for meeting California's 2045 goals to clean the state's electric grid and reach carbon neutrality.
To learn more about Edison International and SCE's commitment to climate adaptation, visit edison.com/clean-energy. For more information about our employee giving and volunteer efforts, visit edison.com/community.
