GRID Alternatives Install

I spent two days last week as a volunteer for GRID Alternatives.  It was very interesting.  There was a small tract of homes in Greenfield where they were installing solar power on seven homes. We had a big group of volunteers (they wanted to get as much done as they could because rain was forecast) and I though it might be a bit unwieldy but things went very smooth. We installed two systems (2Kw) in two days. Normally they do one house in two days.

I had much more fun than I could have imagined. It was a great group of people, ranging from not knowing how to use tools to solar installers.  They split the teams in two groups, roof and ground. The roof teams install the rails, wiring and panels. The ground team installed the inverter, conduit up to the roof and pulled the wiring up there.   I was on the ground team and it was great.  The hardest part was being up the attic running conduit  to the panels on the roof.  It was hot but you got used to it.

The great thing about this program is they want you to learn.  They will show you how to do things once then let you run with it.  You can soak in as much as you want, they are very patient and make all feel welcome.  I highly recommend this. 

It was such a kick as we gathered round to watch them hook up the first system, everyone squeezing in to see the meter spinning backwards!  It was registering 700 watts but it was later in the afternoon and it was covering what they were using in the house. Probably the best thing was the second house.  The owner was there and she was so interested as we neared completion.  After they hooked that one up we let her throw the on switch with a big smile...very rewarding!  I will be back for more soon.

Party Over For Thin-Film?

Interesting article on Greentech Media about the outlook for VC investment for solar. While 2009 was a tough year compared to 2007-08, money for thin-film dried up considerably. The ship has sailed on start-ups needing funding to build huge factories. They will have to be creative in order to survive, i.e. explore new ways to market or throttle back their plans.

The companies that received funding early on now have to deal with a quickly contracting market and hence more competition. I personally think they are at a crossroad. Thin-film won't go away, there is a place for it. These companies just need to figure out a way to bring down the price (compared to silicon based PV) and most importantly prove the long term reliability of their product.

You can read the article here:

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Thin-Film-Solar-Investment-Dries-Up/

GRID Alternatives

GRID Alternatives is non-profit solar company focused on providing solar power for low income households. They install grid tied PV systems basically at cost to the owners and help them procure low cost loans. The idea is to reduce their current electric bill which helps with their monthly budget. In return they expect the owner to participate in the install and help spread the word about the benefits of solar power. This is a wonderful idea.

They get their labor mostly from volunteers who typically donate two days over a weekend to install systems. They do reserve about 20% of the installs for job training programs to help trainees get some hands one experience. Earlier they had a solarthon in San Pedro where they installed 16 systems in one day and raised money from sponsors. The cool thing is that these homes were being built by Habitat for Humanity (they work closely with them on some projects).

I recently took the volunteer training at their headquarters in Oakland so now I'm dangerous and ready to go! I signed up for my first install later this month. It took me three months of trying to get in the training class so I could volunteer. At the class I was told they had to turn away 120 people. I think they've hit on something here. I plan to to take the Team Leader training (as soon as I can get in!).

I'm looking forward to this worthy cause and I'll keep you updated. In the meantime check them out and volunteer yourselves.

http://www.gridalternatives.org/