At its recent Mid-Atlantic launch event, GRID Alternatives unveiled that it had donated solar panels to 10 Habitat for Humanity homes in Washington, DC’s Ivy City neighborhood. The panels will greatly reduce monthly utility bills, green up the neighborhood, and increase job opportunities. SunEdison, a global solar technology manufacturer and provider of solar energy services, actually announced the donation. 
The generosity does not stop there, however. SunEdison’s employees will participate in building two of the community project’s installations. The team will include an all-female build team as part of a joint National Women in Solar initiative.
“SunEdison and GRID Alternatives share a core mission of making solar energy accessible to people in every kind of community,” said Polly Shaw, vice president, government affairs at SunEdison. “Our participation in today’s event not only brings solar energy to underserved communities but also demonstrates our commitment to increasing the number of women in the solar industry. SunEdison is honored to continue partnering with GRID Alternatives and support the industry’s continued growth.”
Just weeks ago, SunEdison employee volunteers filled an all-female team at GRID Alternatives’ Bay Area Solarthon, where eight low-income families received solar electric systems on their homes. So this is the second GRID Alternatives and SunEdison event in the month. “This project highlights the partnership between SunEdison and GRID Alternatives and their joint effort to raise the profile of women in the solar industry and foster their professional advancement,” SunEdison noted.
“Our partnership with SunEdison is not only helping us serve more families, but also inspiring women across the country to get involved in this growing industry,” said Erica Mackie, CEO and co-founder of GRID Alternatives. “We’re excited to have SunEdison join us as we launch into a new market.”
“GRID Alternatives is a nonprofit organization that makes renewable energy technology and job training accessible to low-income communities,” GRID Alternatives noted in the joint press release. “We bring together community partners, volunteers and job trainees to implement solar power and energy efficiency for low-income families, providing energy cost savings, valuable hands-on experience, and a source of clean, local energy that benefits us all. More than 4,500 families have benefited from our work to date, saving $113 million in lifetime electricity costs, and over 17,500 people have received solar training.”
