Helping Good Sun Solar Create a Virtuous Cycle of Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Community, and Sustainable Education

IRE is honored to support Good Sun Solar is a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished and underprivileged individuals and communities within the framework of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Good Sun achieves this mission by: one, installing renewable energy power systems; two, providing vocational training opportunities, and; three, implementing in-classroom curriculum that is focused on raising awareness of renewable energy, sustainable design, and appropriate technology.

Good Sun’s inaugural project is scheduled for this Saturday, January 20th, at the Bitney Charter School (BCS) at 135 Joerschke Drive in Grass Valley. Good Sun, with the help of local and regional solar providers, engineers, consultants, and Bitney Charter High School students, will be installing a 12kW solar system to help get BCS one step closer to their goal of becoming a Zero Net Energy school. Current and future students at BCS program will benefit from the generated savings as well as the hands-on learning and direct observation of solar in action through a real-time monitoring system, empowering to pursue careers in the sustainability field. The Bitney project is also significant in that it is the platform off which Good Sun’s Re-Power program will launch. This program is designed to create a virtuous cycle of solar installations in our community, sustainability education in our classrooms, and hands-on training for students and adults alike. For more information on Good Sun, to get involved or volunteer, or to make a donation and support our programs, please visit our website at www.goodsun.life and send us an email to info@goodsunsolar.org

Project Stats

• Number of LMI families impacted: 85 (60% below federal poverty level)

• Estimated annual utility savings for BCHS :

  • $4,000 by end of year 1

  • $20,000 by year 5

  • $50,000 by year 10

  • $175,000 over the 25 year projected life of the system

• 34 SunPower® solar modules + 2 SolarEdge inverters with monitoring

• Estimated FMV Project Cost: $65,000

• Final cost to school: $0.00 (that’s zero dollars J)