Maricella Garcia is a solar installer at Fresh Coast Solar. She works early mornings and late nights to install solar arrays throughout the Chicago area. Each house and array is unique so her job entails daily problem solving and creative thinking.

Before being a solar installer, Mari was stocking boxes for a small kitchen supply store downtown but was not able to make ends meet. She enrolled in an apprenticeship program for the electrical trades, thanks to funding provided by the Future Energy Jobs Act passed in Illinois in 2016. Mari graduated from the program and started at Fresh Coast Solar eight months ago.

Fresh Coast Solar has been at the forefront of the Midwest’s energy transformation from residential solar installations that are helping families realize their energy independence to large scale, utility-led projects that have opened the doors for entire communities to benefit from solar power. With each project, Fresh Coast Solar is building a better way to power our communities.