Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks along with several officials to inaugurate a solar project in North Hollywood. (Anne Cusack, Los Angeles Times / June 26, 2013)
On June 26, 2013, Catherine Green writes in the Los Angeles Times:
Called Clean L.A. Solar, the program allows the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to pay customers to generate solar power across the city’s vast expanse of flat roof space.
The goal of the effort, the brainchild of the Los Angeles Business Council, is to generate 150 megawatts of solar electricity, or enough to power about 30,000 homes. The council hopes to attract investments totaling $500 million from a growing list of companies that want to invest in L.A.’s push to go green by setting up large clusters of rooftop solar panels.
Initially, customers generating power in the city will receive 17 cents a kilowatt-hour, a price that gradually will decline for later projects to 14 cents; projects in Owens Valley, also home to DWP ratepayers, will receive 14 cents a kilowatt-hour. Single-family homes probably won’t be able to participate because most aren’t large enough.
Leslie of the LABC said residents and smaller organizations that can’t shoulder the cost of a full solar installation can still invest as shareholders in nearby projects, and would see a return once these projects become profitable.
I publish an architectural magazine, Ultimate Home Design (www.ultimatehomedesign.com) that advocates responsible green building initiatives, with respect to on-site energy generation. I also built the greenest home in America, the Optimum Performance Home (http://www.ultimatehomedesign.com/oph.php).
Germany is the leader in home/business-generated solar power, which we should follow.
The German model is the “Feed-In-Tariff” (TIF) and gives anyone who generates power from solar, wind, or hydro a guaranteed payment from the local power company. Local power companies are obliged to buy power generated by solar, wind, and hydro home and small business installations.
Germany pioneered legislation, and other European countries––including Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, and Italy––are implementing similar legislation. At present, unfortunately, local power companies in the U.S. are not required to pay homeowners for the energy generated on-site beyond what the homeowners generate produce a “Zero Energy Home” (ZED) cost operation. Thus, homeowners with systems designed to generate excess electricity are not compensated. “Feed-In-Tariff” legislation, which offers cash incentives, will become the most important means we have to boost the solar and wind energy market, and significantly reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil. Such legislation will make it lucrative for ordinary people to put solar systems on their roofs and wind turbines on their properties. The end result will produce a new class of homeowners who will be energy-independent and part of a network of clean energy producers.
Such policies, when implemented will provide a substantial amount of energy. We need to make the effort and advocate to our political leaders to pass the necessary legislation.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar-buyback-20130627,0,4976105.story
