A former NBA player, Mark Davis, has a found a new way to make use of his talents. He is using, not his basketball skills, but his social skills in bringing solar power and jobs to low-income households in Washington, D.C.
He built his company, WDC solar to bring not only solar power to the community but also to provide jobs to its residents. He pays them from $15 to $23 per hour to install his solar system on rooftops. So far, he has already employed 20 people in the area.
"It's a great way for people with just a GED to get into an industry that's growing rapidly and do well for themselves -- if they are willing to work hard," Davis said.
An added bonus to the residents with installed solar systems is the 30 percent to 35 percent savings they realize on their energy bills. "It's money that is staying, going towards groceries, medication, education," he added.
The cost of a solar power system installed on the rooftop is quiet prohibitive for an ordinary household, what more for a low income family, even if prices of solar panels are going down.
Installing a rooftop solar system could cost between $7 and $9 per watt. If a home requires 5 kilowatts for its energy needs and would like to use solar power, it would have to spend approximately $25,000 to $35,000.
There could be subsidies that could guarantee a 50 percent cut on the initial cost, but still a low-income family would hardly be able to afford it.
This is the reason why Mark Davis founded his company in 2009. He saw that only the wealthy could afford solar power, thus they were the ones benefitting from it, and not those who really need the money.
"They were wealthy and taking advantage of incentives to pay off the installation over the years," he said. So he devised a way to level the playing field and now the poorer ones in Washington, D.C. are reaping the benefits as well.
