GRID Alternatives

GRID Alternatives (GRID) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California. GRID Alternatives installs solar power systems and provides job training for under-served communities and operates in the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Nepal.
History.
GRID was founded during the 2001 California energy crisis by Erica Mackie, P.E., and Tim Sears, P.E., two engineering professionals.
According to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program profile, GRID "piloted its flagship Solar Affordable Housing Program in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004, and subsequently expanded to other parts of the state."
In 2008, GRID was selected by the California Public Utilities Commission to serve as the statewide program manager for its Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) incentive program, prompting an expansion across California.
In 2013, GRID expanded its work outside of California for the first time in Colorado.
GRID Mid-Atlantic, serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, was launched in September 2014. In 2017, GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic was selected to administer Solar Works DC, a program of the Washington, D.C. Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) and Department of Employment Services (DOES).
Regional Affiliates.
GRID has 9 regional affiliates; 7 serving California and offices in Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C.
In September 2017, regional affiliate GRID Alternatives Tri-State, serving New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, closed.