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Our
mission is to promote and inspire the use of solar power and energy efficiency in order to bring the economic benefits of
the green economy to Richmond. We serve the community through solar installation training, educating a new “green-collar”
workforce and opening doors to employment.
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Our Goals
- 100 new green-collar jobs
- 50 solar installations for low-income homeowners by 2010
- 5 megawatts of solar electric power installed in Richmond by 2010
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Angela Greene, Project Manager, assesses the completed system
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What We Do
Solar Richmond serves the Richmond community through green-collar job training and opens doors to employment within the
solar industry. We are the glue that brings together resources in order to meet our end-goal of 5 megawatts of installed solar
in Richmond by 2010. We work closely with diverse partners in city government, the non-profit world and local businesses as
well. This is the facilitating role we have been playing and will continue to play. Now we are looking to bring more resources
to the table with our new 10-week paid internship program.
Programs
1) Solar installation training:
- Coordinate a 1-week training with our partners
RichmondBUILD, Solar Living Institute and Grid
Alternatives
2) Solar for low-income homeowners:
- Facilitate low-cost solar installations for qualified
low-income homeowners with partner Grid Alternatives
- Provide free labor, requiring no cash out of pocket
- Homeowners receive deferred low-interest loans through
the City of Richmond Redevelopment Agency, requiring
payment only upon sale of the home
- Homeowners also save substantially on their electric bill
each year.
3) Advocacy/policy:
- Work with city officials to help create policy that bring
the advantages of the green economy to Richmond.
- We secured no permitting costs for all Richmond residents
- We also secured favorable loans specifically for
low-income homeowners
- We got City Council to pass resolution to install 200kw
of solar on City Hall
4) Solar promotion:
- Participate in Richmond's annual Earth Day
- Richmond Solar Homes Tours, part of the annual ASES
national tour
5) Internship program:
- Provide immediate, paid opportunities for graduates to
receive on-the-job training
- 10-week paid internships with local solar companies and
bridge training to permanent employment
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