From desert battlefields to suburban rooftops – a new grant will help more U.S. military veterans and active service members connect to solar jobs.
GRID Alternatives has announced its Troops to Solar initiative, which is being supported by a 3-year, USD $750,000 grant from Wells Fargo.
Hands-on solar installation training will be provided under the program for military and veterans groups; with a goal of training 1,000 men and women in total.
“Solar is a high-growth career that speaks to so many of the skills our Veterans bring — leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, innovation,” said Anna Bautista, GRID’s Vice President for Construction and Workforce Development. “Together we can build a stronger clean energy future for our country.”
Troops to Solar is part of a massive national effort to employ 50,000 veterans in the solar industry by 2020.
In 2014, the U.S. Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative launched the Solar Ready Vets program to prepare veterans for careers as solar installers, sales representatives, system inspectors, and other solar-related occupations.
These programs are working – apparently, the solar industry hires more veterans than any other sector in America.
Regardless of the view held of various conflicts these men and women may have participated in; jobs for veterans is incredibly important as these people seek to reintegrate into civilian life.
Swapping a rifle for other tools can only be a good thing; particularly when it involves a clean, renewable energy future – and one that will also hopefully be more peaceful.
Wells Fargo & Company says it has donated more than $66 million to help service members, veterans, and their families over the past three years – well exceeding its $35 million goal.
With regard to renewable energy, Wells Fargo has now invested more $3.8 million since 2007 in GRID Alternatives’ efforts to install solar power systems for low-income families and provide solar industry workforce development in underserved communities.
Since it began, GRID has provided more than 22,000 people with solar training. The organisation has installed nearly 6000 rooftop solar power systems with a combined installed capacity of over 20MW, which will save more than $155 million in electricity costs over their operational life and avoid 450,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
