Pilot project provides C.A.R.E. community with solar electric systems
Leonard Wills waited across the street in front of a neighbor’s home, on the corner of Orleans Street and North Collington Avenue, as eight job trainees helped secure a solar electric system on his roof. His patience might pay off in a substantial way.
GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar installer; the Baltimore Office of Sustainability; and Baltimore Energy Challenge last week kicked off a pilot program in the C.A.R.E. (Caring Active Restoring Efforts) community of East Baltimore. Ten homes are being equipped with solar power and cool roofs. The project will also bring a community center to the neighborhood and provide up to 1,600 hours of solar job training for local residents.
Low-income families and homeowners like Wills, 74, will save hundreds of dollars on their electricity bills each year, according to a news release from GRID Alternatives.
“The money that I’ll save on my electric bill, I can utilize that to do other things which I like to do for the house, like repair the back or do interior work,” Wills said.
Wills will have a 1.9 kilowatt system that will save him about $20 per month in the first year. The benefit to him is significant — Willis is a senior citizen on fixed income.
The project, the first for GRID Alternatives in the Baltimore area, is not only geared to help underserved families save money, but to also connect people who need jobs with a career in the solar industry.
Civic Works trainees were on site to install the panels.
“I feel as though putting up solar systems in this community is very helpful and useful, especially for people that can’t pay their [Baltimore Gas and Electric] bill,” said Terrell Smith, 22, a Civic Works trainee. “This community needs attention like this because our community lacks the positive attention. If you bring positivity to our community and the young people come around and see it, they probably want to help and join.”
Constellation Energy was also present to help support the launch in Baltimore.
“Solar will provide the most energy at the time of day at which homeowners are paying the most for their power,” said Brendon Quinlivan, director of origination-distributed energy for Constellation. “Hot, 98 degree days in the middle of the summer, running air conditioning, running washer and dryers, you’re paying the most. Well, solar is producing the most at that time so it helps to bring down that expense at that expensive time of the day.”
According to Nicole Steele, executive director of GRID, the project was started one year ago. Steele said the pilot project aims to diversify the workforce by training at least 1,000 women and 1,000 trainees of color this year.
“The job training organizations that GRID works with, in this case Civic Works, help to place the trainees with construction and other skilled trade organizations and solar installers,” said Constellation spokeswoman Christina Pratt. “Constellation works with a variety of vendors and contractors to build and install our projects and many of them employ workers who have come through similar job training programs.”
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-solar-power-20150622-story.html
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