Cloudy skies for LA's solar efforts

Cloudy skies for LA's solar efforts When he was running for mayor seven years ago, Antonio Villaraigosa promised to make L. , only to discover it's a cumbersome and expensive process plagued by delays, poor service and bad communication by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which despite initiatives such as Villaraigosa's Green L. San Diego has more put in place solar capacity than L. Compared to other cities, though, L. 's population. Yet it's an embarrassment for L. Rooftop solar panels make a great deal of sense for L. is lagging. Arnold Schwarzenegger's heralded "Million Solar Roofs" initiative call for L. So what's the holdup? Times staff writer Catherine Saillant got a few of the answers from business owners who have made the jump to solar in L. A statewide analysis by the advocacy group Environment California found that while Los Angeles is No. Nichols has acknowledged the DWP won't reach that goal, and as a publicly owned utility it won't face any financial penalties for its failure. action plan seems to have long regarded rooftop solar power as an annoying stepchild. That's in keeping with a DWP approach that has barely kept up with state renewable-power mandates, let alone broken new ground. is dwarfed by Northern California cities such as Chico and Santa Rosa. , not only because the city is so frequently sun-splashed but because local power development is the easiest and cheapest way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, since one does not need to build power lines to carry electricity here from desert solar plants or mountain wind farms. Yet when it comes to local solar-power development, it's not even the greenest city in Los Angeles County. even though it has roughly one-third of L. 's potential. Yet the program is limited to only 10 megawatts to begin, a notably unambitious goal given L. Cloudy skies for LA's solar efforts Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 26/04/2012