GRID Alternatives (GRID) is a national

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

nonprofit organization based in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Founded by Erica Mackie and Tim Sears in 2004, it installs solar power systems and provides job training for underserved communities and operates in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

History

Grid, styled "GRID," was founded during the 2001 California energy crisis by Erica Mackie, P.E., and Tim Sears, P.E., two engineering professionals. According to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program profile, it "piloted its flagship Solar Affordable Housing Program in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

in 2004, and subsequently expanded to other parts of the state." In 2008, the company was selected by the California Public Utilities Commission to serve as the statewide program manager for its Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) incentive program, prompting an expansion across the state. In 2013, Grid expanded its work outside of California for the first time in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. GRID Mid-Atlantic, serving

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, was launched in September 2014. In 2017, GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic was selected to administer Solar Works DC, a program of the

Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) and Department of Employment Services (DOES).

Regional affiliates

Grid has nine regional affiliates; seven serving California and offices in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and Washington, D.C. It also partners with Indigenous tribes throughout the country through its National Tribal Solar Program, of which Tim Willink, from

Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico Pueblo Pintado ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 247 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. Geography According to the United States C ...

, of the Navajo Nation, is director. Grid has installed over 900 residential solar systems with tribes and brought solar PV to the vast majority of homes on the Bishop Paiute Reservation in California. In September 2017, regional affiliate GRID Alternatives Tri-State, serving

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, closed due to a recent Federal trade case decision that created uncertainty around future solar panel prices. In their press release, however, the company stated,

Awards and recognition

* 2018 – Solar Power World Innovators and Influencers (Erika Symmonds) * 2018 – GreenBiz Clean Energy Equity Showcase Honoree * 2017 – International Renewable Energy Council National 3iAward recipient - Energy Hero (Mackie) * 2015 – Green for All Climate Champion (Stan Greschner) * 2014 – White House Champions of Change for Solar Deployment (Sears) * 2013 – Clean Energy and Empowerment Award (Mackie),{{Cite web, url=https://www.c3eawards.org/erica-mackie/, title=Erica Mackie — The Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative, website=The Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative, language=en-US, access-date=2018-11-27 C3E, the Clean Energy Education and Empowerment program, a partnership between U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI).

References

Solar power in the United States Solar energy organizations Renewable resource companies established in 2004 Environmental organizations established in 2004 Organizations established in 2004 Organizations based in Oakland, California 2004 establishments in California