LA Could Go 100% Green By 2035

LOS ANGELES, CA — The American city most infamous for its smog could soon lead the nation in green energy, keeping the lights on for millions of residents with renewable energy.

Two Los Angeles City Council members are determined to shift the city to 100 percent clean energy by 2035, a full decade earlier than the current goal. To meet that goal, the city would have to aggressively pursue solar, wind and electrical storage projects, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in partnership with the LADWP and USC. Rooftop solar panels and electric transportation fleets would are a major part of the proposition. The goal is ambitious, but it would have a major payoff in reducing greenhouse gases. Los Angeles could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 73 to 99 percent, according to the study.

The movement would make Los Angeles the largest city to go fully green.

A motion moving up the city utility's green deadline to 2035 was introduced by Councilmen Paul Krekorian and Mitch O'Farrell. It would instruct the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to complete the shift to renewable energy by 2035, and it identifies projects to be implemented immediately on the path to the 100% renewable goal.

"Because of the extensive efforts we initiated five years ago, the largest municipal utility in the United States is now poised to lead the country with a genuine plan to provide 100% carbon-free electricity to its millions of customers," Krekorian said. "Now we need to take the steps necessary to execute that plan with urgency."

The motion builds on Krekorian's 2016 motion with Councilman Mike Bonin, which initiated the planning process for the 100% renewable goal, known as LA100.

"The worsening climate crisis demands we take a harder look at our renewable energy goals," O'Farrell said. "We can create a clear pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035, emphasizing resiliency, a diverse renewable portfolio, enhanced reliability, and a process informed by the interests of ratepayers every step of the way."

On March 24, the city released the LA100 Study which found that the LADWP, which is the nation's largest municipal utility and provides power to more than four million people, can reach the city's goal by 2045 or sooner if it rapidly deploys wind and solar power, electrical storage and other technologies.

The study was conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory was one of the largest studies of its kind conducted by the federal government.

"This groundbreaking study will help put our city on the fast track to a 100% renewable energy future and provide a blueprint for an affordable, reliable, and sustainable system for cities around the world," Mayor Eric Garcetti said during the announcement.

While researchers found that L.A. can reach entirely renewable energy by 2045, it also noted that the city can dramatically reduce its greenhouse gases, from 76% to 99% less than 2020 levels, by 2030 if the city begins to work toward these goals now. The study provided pathways to reach these goals, and each one has a similar trajectory with 73%-92% of renewable energy generation coming from wind and solar resources.

Specifically, the study found that:

-- rooftop solar will be a major component of creating local clean energy and using such technology on single-family and multi-unit dwellings would provide sizable savings for LADWP customers;

-- the transportation and building sectors' electrification offers the greatest potential for local public health benefits and reduced energy costs, and the greatest impacts would be seen in Los Angeles' historically disadvantaged communities.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.