Making Solar Energy Accessible to Everyone

WCEE DC Lunch & Learn Series invites you to attend "Making Solar Energy Accessible to Everyone" featuring Nicole Steele, Executive Director of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic

How do we design a successful transition to clean, renewable energy in a way that includes everyone, particularly low income families who need it most? GRID Alternatives has developed and implemented a proven model that makes renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities!

Join Nicole Steele, Executive Director of GRID Alternatives’ Mid-Atlantic office to learn about the success stories of providing community-scale solar access at the local and regional scale, where there are often different rules, permitting and incentives.  She will discuss how GRID works with community partners, volunteers and job trainees to implement solar power and energy efficiency for low-income families, and describe what works in which areas and why, including low income solar rebate programs, single-family versus multi-family and community solar models, homeowners  versus renters, and innovative job training workforce development approaches involving schools or veteran communities.

Ms. Steele will also address challenges and opportunities in elevating the solar access conversation to the national level, including policy development and implementation, working with affordable housing developers, renewable energy credits, net metering programs, and GRID’s National Women in Solar Initiative, as part of the effort to transfer what has been learned from the great successes at the smaller scale to clean energy access for all nationwide!              

Speaker:

Nicole Steele, Executive Director of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, has over 10 years of experience in the environmental and energy fields in the areas of urban planning, grassroots advocacy, policy development, program design and implementation as well as many other disciplines. Nicole manages the Mid-Atlantic office and works with policymakers at the local and state levels to help them develop and implement inclusive solar policies. Prior to joining GRID Alternatives, she managed the Alliance to Save Energy’s Policy team’s development program and budget, external communications, and high profile initiatives including energy efficiency in city planning and the Alliance’s Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy.

Nicole was also the Director of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, a 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) stimulus program, for Loudoun County, Virginia. While in that position she designed, commissioned and implemented twelve separate energy-related projects ranging from capital improvements to feasibility studies to education and outreach programs. Prior to moving into that role, Nicole was a legislative and long-range land use planner for the county. Ms. Steele also has a background in campaign management, grant management and review, state and local policy making, and green building.

Please note that this is a Lunch & Learn (i.e. brown-bag) event; so please feel free to bring your lunch

Cost: $0 (WCEE members); $15 (non-WCEE members)