December 10, 2008—Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has unveiled an aggressive solar power plan that aims to encourage the installation of 1,300 megawatts (MW) of solar power throughout the city and surrounding areas of Southern California by 2020, according to news from the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Called “Solar LA,” the plan addresses solar power systems on residential, commercial, and municipal properties.
The plan includes a requirement for the city’s municipal utility, the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water (LADWP), to install 400 MW of solar power on city-owned property by 2014. By 2020, the utility will be required to procure an additional 500 MW of utility-scale solar power through contracts with third-party developers, with the option to purchase the systems after about eight years of operations.
The EERE report notes that LSA residents will be offered assistance in various forms to comply with the program, and says that perhaps the most unique part of the plan is the city’s intent to institute a feed-in tariff, which would allow solar developers throughout the city to sell power directly to LADWP under a long-term contract. The feed-in tariff is expected to yield another 150 MW of solar power by 2016.
