Dive Brief:
- As the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power continues to transition to a cleaner fuel mix the utility needs to quickly overcome implementation challenges that threaten long-term growth of the City’s local solar program, according to a new report.
- The report, "Los Angeles Solar: Now and into the Future," was commissioned by the Los Angeles Business Council Institute. Researchers reported that an enhanced solar incentive program could help wean the city off coal-fired generation and put it on the path toward achieving California's ambitious emissions goals.
- The city could expand the amount of local solar to 1,500 MW annually, a program that would create jobs and attract long-term investment, researchers said.
Dive Insight:
Researchers from UCLA's Luskin Center for Innovation and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) believe Los Angeles has the opportunity to cut its use of coal, which currently makes up 42% of its energy portfolio, mostly from out-of-state sources. To do so, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the municipal utility that serves the city, must make certain changes to develop a local solar plan.
Local solar expansion can be achieved through three existing programs, the report found: net metering, the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) program and the Community Solar Initiative. Researchers said the FiT can play a lead role, enabling local commercial property owners to sell solar power back to the utility at a fixed competitive rate.
So far, LADWP has authorized 100 MW of power under the FiT program, but only 6.5 MW are operational, the report found. Another 8.2 MW are under contract and waiting con construction, with another 56 MW under contract.
“Los Angeles has a unique confluence of characteristics providing a firm foundation for a successful solar FiT program: abundant sunshine, a trained workforce and tremendous economic need," said Dr. Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern California's PERE. "There's no question that thre FiT can advance solar-related equity goals where they're needed most."
The utility needs to build staff resources and continuing streamlining the application and installation process to speed the pace of local projects. LADWP has a self-imposed goal of being coal-free by 2025.