{"id":2733,"date":"2014-07-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-21T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gridalt.wpenginepowered.com\/the-current\/rebuilding-smart-with-solar\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T12:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T16:03:11","slug":"rebuilding-smart-with-solar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/live-grid-wp.pantheonsite.io\/es\/the-current\/rebuilding-smart-with-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebuilding Smart with Solar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen Hurricane Sandy hit I was at home finishing up dinner. I looked out the door and saw the water coming up my street. I called my neighbor who had a two-story house and said, \u2018I\u2019m coming over with the cat.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Helen Wilson, a 13-year resident of Union Beach, soon realized that she, like so many other families in this hard-hit town, would not be going home again. But now, 18 months later, Wilson is getting ready to move into a brand new, solar-powered home.<\/p>\n

Last week, GRID Alternatives installed a solar electric system on a home built for Wilson through \u201cRebuilding Union Beach,\u201d a demonstration project that was funded to design and install durable, eco-friendly modular homes for displaced families. The installation team, sponsored by Alcoa Foundation, included graduates from Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), an organization that prepares, trains and places women in careers in the unionized building and construction trades.<\/p>\n

GRID Alternatives\u2019 efforts are just a small part of the transformation taking place in Union Beach. Eighty-five percent of the town\u2019s 2,600 homes were flooded with at least two feet of water during Hurricane Sandy, and 286 of them–including Wilson\u2019s–have been demolished.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day after the storm, I came and saw the total devastation of this community,\u201d said Jennifer Wenson Maier, Borough Administrator and founder of Rebuilding Union Beach. \u201cAfter the initial shock, my first thought was: what an enormous opportunity to rebuild smart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe solar portion has been the hardest to include in the project,\u201d said Wenson Maier, \u201cbut for us, it is the most critical component. We want to rebuild smart, and it\u2019s a financial necessity for these families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson is thrilled to be included. \u201cI would see other homes around with solar and wonder if it was something I could have,\u201d she said. \u201cNot only will it help me save on my electricity bill, but will also help save the environment. I just feel so lucky.\u201d Click here<\/a> to see more photos from the day.<\/p>\n

\"NEW<\/p>\n

\"Lifting<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen Hurricane Sandy hit I was at home finishing up dinner. I looked out the door and saw the water coming up my street. I called my neighbor who had a two-story house and said, \u2018I\u2019m coming over with the cat.\u2019\u201d Helen Wilson, a 13-year resident of Union Beach, soon realized that she, like so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,81,79],"tags":[],"audience":[],"content-type":[12],"focus-area":[29,20,72,26,36,73],"region":[],"series":[],"content-author":[],"class_list":["post-2733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equity-community","category-organizational-stories","category-workforce-education","content-type-news","focus-area-clients","focus-area-job-training","focus-area-solar-storage-installations","focus-area-sponsors","focus-area-women-in-solar","focus-area-workforce-development"],"acf":{"hero_media_type":"image","hero_media_image":null,"hero_media_url":"","hero_media_poster":null,"hero_video_play":"inline","related_stories":null,"pattern_override":null,"story_callouts":null,"media":null,"featured_blog_post":null,"featured_event":null,"pdf_download":null,"blockquote":null,"author":null,"notice":null,"social_embed":null,"contact_card":null,"meta_details":null,"faq":null,"table":null},"yoast_head":"\nRebuilding Smart with Solar - GRID Alternatives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cWhen Hurricane Sandy hit I was at home finishing up dinner. 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