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Executive Summary
As the new home of CALPIRG's environmental work, Environment California
can be contacted with any questions regarding this report.
Los Angeles
is at a critical energy crossroads with unprecedented opportunities for the
city to make a decided shift toward renewable energy.
Renewable energy, once thought of as a technology for tomorrow, has become a
viable source of energy today. Renewable resources are lighting homes, running
appliances, and powering functions for millions of California residences and
businesses.
This report finds that Los Angeles is overly reliant on fossil fuels and nuclear
power.
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Fossil-fuel
combustion makes up over 75 percent of the electricity supplied to Los Angeles:
50 percent coal, 25 percent natural gas.
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Nuclear
power makes up 12 percent of the electricity generated for Los Angeles.
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Compared
to a statewide average of 12 percent, Los Angeles generates just two percent
of its electricity from renewable resources.
CALPIRG’s research shows that Los Angeles could generate up to 20 percent of
its electricity from renewable energy by 2012.
This report assumes Los Angeles maintains its expected growth in demand, remaining
at 10 percent of statewide demand. The report then takes a look at the statewide
potential for new renewable energy development and assumes Los Angeles could
feasibly develop, or contract with, 10 percent of this new development.
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Wind
is the fastest growing energy resource in the world with the biggest growth
potential in California over the next decade. Los Angeles could meet 12.2 percent
of its energy needs from wind by adding 460 MW by 2012.
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Geothermal
plants are the largest source of renewable energy in California. Los Angeles
could meet 6.4 percent of its energy needs by adding 250 MW of new geothermal
capacity at a price competitive with natural gas.
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Solar
thermal power plants could theoretically generate enough energy in a 100 square
mile patch of desert to power the entire country. Los Angeles could easily generate
0.8 percent of its 2012 expected demand through solar thermal with a new capacity
of 60 MW.
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Los
Angeles is one of the most insular regions in the country. By developing just
3 percent of its solar photovoltaic potential citywide (117 MW), Los Angeles
could power twenty thousand homes, or 0.6 percent of its energy demand, by 2012.
Moving to an
energy mix more reliant on renewables will have a number of economic and environmental
benefits.
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A
diversified energy portfolio reduces the risk of price spikes and blackouts
due to market manipulation and supply shortages.
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Renewable
energy creates four to eleven times as many jobs as conventional technologies.
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Los
Angeles could reduce its smog-forming pollution by 1,000 tons each year and
its global warming emissions by 3.7 million tons – the equivalent of removing
700,000 cars from the road.
Many states and municipalities are already taking advantage of these renewable
energy resources.
For example,
California recently passed a law mandating 20 percent of the energy sold by
investor owned utilities come from renewable resources by 2017. San Francisco
is installing 90 MW of new solar and wind power developments.
Los Angeles is in a unique position to shift its current energy policy toward
renewable energy.
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The City of Los Angeles owns
and manages one of the largest public utilities in the country, the Department
of Water and Power.
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Los
Angeles is the third largest user of electricity in California. Los Angeles
can enter into long-term contracts or use other pricing structures to spread
startup costs over a long period of time to realize all the benefits of renewable
energy.
Policy Recommendations
Based on the findings of this report, CALPIRG recommends the City of Los Angeles
become a worldwide clean energy leader with policies that clearly put it on
a clean, efficient and renewable energy path.
1. Los Angeles should start by establishing an enforceable baseline
goal of generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by
2012. Once this 20 percent floor is set, the city has many other policy
options that will help lower demand, minimize dependence on foreign fuel supplies
and protect public health and the environment.
2. Conservation and Efficiency: Los Angeles should exploit all cost-effective
conservation and energy efficiency technologies with a minimum goal of meeting
all growth in demand through conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable
energy.
3. Phase Out Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Power: At a minimum, Los Angeles
should refrain from investing in, or signing contracts with, new or expanded
fossil fuel or nuclear facilities.
4. Government Purchasing: Los Angeles should build new renewable energy
resources in the City to directly provide electricity for municipal buildings.
5. Promote Micropower: Los Angeles should remove all barriers to, and
expand incentive programs for, renewable micropower such as solar PV, fuel cells
and small wind turbines.
6. Environmental Performance: Los Angeles should issue an environmental
performance report documenting the average level of pollution per megawatt of
power sold and establish a goal of reducing these emissions over time.
7. Public Education: Los Angeles should expand upon its programs to educate
the public on the need for, and the benefits of, renewable energy.
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