IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
A non-profit company that tries to bring solar power to low-income communities wants to help unemployed veterans from the Inland Empire into that field.
Oakland-based GRID Alternatives is offering Troops to Solar, a no-cost training program in solar panel installation, to the estimated 16,500 unemployed veterans in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, said Bambi Tran, regional director for the company.
The goal is to give jobless veterans a path into of the fastest growing businesses in the United States, Tran said.
To publicize that effort, the Inland office of GRID Alternatives will install a solar electrical panel at the home of Patricia Brown, a U.S. Army veteran today. Brown’s residence is at 295 E. Marshall Blvd. San Bernardino.
The event, which will include a ribbon cutting, is scheduled to run from 10 am to 11:30 a.m. Several local dignitaries, including Kent Paxton, who advises San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales on policies concerning homelessness, and Al Arguello, Bank of America’s Inland Empire market president, are expected to attend.
Instruction in Troops to Solar can last from one to nine months depending on the background and skill level of the applicant. Once the training is complete, GRID Alternatives helps the applicant connect with possible employers.
The U.S. solar panel industry grew approximately 14 percent last year, Tran said.
