Solar power on rooftops in Los Angeles has nearly quadrupled over the past two years, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
LADWP provided incentives for over 22 MW of solar photovoltaic installations in fiscal year 2011-12, compared to 9 MW in 2010-11 and 5 MW in 2009-10. The company re-launched its net-metering program approximately one year ago.
‘Our goal in retooling the program last year was to align the incentive levels with market pricing so that a greater number and diversity of customers could benefit from solar power,’ says Ronald O. Nichols, general manager of LADWP. ‘I think the results of the past year have demonstrated we were successful.’
The 22 MW of solar installations supported by LADWP incentives in fiscal year 2011-12 represent nearly 2,000 installation projects in Los Angeles. LADWP customers have installed 44 MW of solar since 2007, when the company revised its net-metering program to align with the state's Million Solar Roofs initiative.
‘If the pace we are seeing today continues, by this fall, we will exceed 100 MW of net-metered solar capacity that is either built or in the queue to be built,’ notes Aram Benyamin, senior assistant general manager of the LADWP power system.
