The City of Arvin has partnered with GRID Alternatives and Kern Community College District to provide free solar panel installations for residents, helping reduce energy costs while creating job training opportunities.
The initiative is part of the Disadvantaged Communities - Single-Family Solar Homes program, established by the California Public Utilities Commission to help low-income families access clean energy.
"Back in 2020, the City of Arvin formed a partnership with GRID Alternatives as a pilot program to see if we could do installs of solar on residential homes," Christine Viterelli, grants manager for the City of Arvin, said.
GRID Alternatives is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clean energy solutions to low-income families.
Since the partnership began, several households have received free solar installations, allowing residents to save up to 50% on their electric bills.
"We have air pollution here, we have high ozone numbers, and so through doing energy-saving programs throughout the city, we are also reducing the air pollution and increasing the livability of the community," Viterelli said.
In addition to promoting sustainability, the solar panel installations create hands-on training opportunities for students from the Kern Community College District's 21st Century Energy Center.
"This is a part of the class where they get to do hands-on, real-world installation. I think that's really important to make them attractive to prospective employers," Dave Teasdale, executive director of workperson talent development at Kern Community College District, said.
Through this collaboration, students gain valuable hands-on experience in the field, enhancing their competitiveness in the job market.
"You get exposed to the theory, you get exposed to the safety as well, and the knowledge of how to install, let's say PV panels, or hands-on, the second part, as we did on this property," George Irimia, a student in the program, said.
Residents interested in applying for the energy savings program can visit our website at TurnTo23.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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