Workers for GRID Alternatives work on the finishing touches for the company's 2000th installation in the Central Valley. Photo by Frank Lopez

Nonprofit solar installer GRID Alternatives celebrated its 2,000th solar panel installation in the Central Valley Friday.

Representatives, workers, and trainees of GRID gathered at a home in Fresno on Leisure Avenue near Chestnut Avenue and McKinley Avenue to finish and commemorate the latest installation, as well as the work they’ve done for low-income communities in the Central Valley.

 

“We are going to save a lot of money on our PG&E bill,” said Brenda Burgess, owner of the home. “The company, GRID Alternatives, has been really great to work with. They are really nice and everyone is really knowledgeable, and these guys that worked on our roof worked really hard.”

The installation took two days to complete because of the heat and the planned festivities, but normally, a standard home installation could be done in one day.

The 3.7-kilowatt DC system installed on Burgess’ home could save her 92 percent on her monthly energy bills, and will add up to a total 7,961 kilowatts that GRID has installed in the Central Valley. Such a system costs on average $11,000-$14,000.

GRID was founded in 2001 by two engineering professionals with the idea that free, clean electricity from solar power should be available to everyone. Today, GRID is the largest non-profit solar installer in the country and offers its Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) incentive program to provide solar power for low-income communities.

Solar panel systems from Grid Alternatives will save families in the Valley over $73 million over a lifetime and bring savings to over $320 million for families across the country over a lifetime.

“I’m honored and amazed with the opportunity that we’ve had over the past years to impact our Central Valley communities in such a way that our families are going to have a huge amount of savings in the future to help provide a better quality of life for their family,” said Grid Alternatives Workforce Development Director Karina Gonzalez.

In total, GRID has installed more than 10,660 solar power systems across the country.