A broad coalition of business, environmental and civic leaders today called on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to increase and accelerate its goals for generating local renewable energy, urging the utility to immediately expand a successful pilot program allowing hundreds of building owners to install rooftop solar panels and then sell the electricity generated into the utility’s power grid.
Aside from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) solar program – the largest solar program of its kind in the nation – is credited with spurring major private investment in clean solar power in Los Angeles County and creating thousands of high-quality local jobs. The pilot program has reached capacity with all 150MWs originally authorized either installed or active, along with a waitlist of interested participants.
“Los Angeles has a unique opportunity to show the nation that we can harness technology, an entrepreneurial spirit and the sun’s energy to meet the demands of the climate crisis while producing the power needed to sustain our way of life,” wrote leaders organized by the Los Angeles Business Council in a letter sent today to LADWP Board President Mel Levine on behalf of the organization’s 500 members.
“Expanding solar programs [will] benefit the entire L.A. community by creating a pipeline of good paying local jobs, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of life for residents,” the letter states.
