Southern California Edison, a leader in the transformation of the energy sector, today announced a partnership with The Greenlining Institute, a leading California policy and advocacy group working on environmental and social equity, to develop community-centric solutions for healthy air and a healthy climate.
More than 20 community organizations attended the first direct engagement meeting June 8 co-hosted by SCE and Greenlining. The group discussed key elements and benefits of community solar project design, including community ownership, job training and education and awareness.
[ecko_quote source=”SCE President Ron Nichols”]Healthy air and a healthy climate go hand in hand, and in order to improve local air quality and to meet the state’s 2030 greenhouse gas targets, it is important that all Californians, regardless of neighborhood or income, have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from the clean energy revolution.[/ecko_quote]
This partnership is a major step toward direct engagement on clean energy access, air quality and climate change issues in Southern California. Greenlining will facilitate a collaborative conversation between SCE and organizations working in low-income communities disproportionately impacted by air emissions and other environmental influences.
[ecko_quote source=”Orson Aguilar, President of The Greenlining Institute”]Partnering with SCE — to shine a spotlight on obstacles to widespread adoption of electric vehicles and to look at different funding mechanisms to give disadvantaged communities access to renewable energy.[/ecko_quote]
Working together, the parties can craft and support state and local policies and programs to improve air quality for underrepresented communities and bring clean energy technology investment, “green” jobs and job training to them.
SCE President Ron Nichols stated, “This includes adoption of electric vehicles, energy efficiency, distributed renewable energy and job training for clean energy jobs. Partnering with The Greenlining Institute is one of the many ways we are listening to customers about the best ways to bring clean energy technology to everyone. ”
Orson Aguilar, president of The Greenlining Institute, said, “Partnering with SCE — to shine a spotlight on obstacles to widespread adoption of electric vehicles and to look at different funding mechanisms to give disadvantaged communities access to renewable energy — means that we have succeeded in bringing environmental equity issues to the mainstream, and together we can work up and down the power chain to craft smart programs and policies to move everyone forward.”
SCE also works to speed energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption by offering CPUC-authorized programs to income-qualifying customers — Solar for Affordable Housing (SASH), Solar for Multifamily Housing (MASH) and the Energy Savings Assistance Program, which helps income-qualified households conserve energy and reduce their electricity costs.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
