Los Angeles Expands Solar Program

The Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have approved to markedly expand the Department's Solar Incentive Program, increasing incentive payment limits, extending the highest incentive levels for another year, and expanding the program by allowing large customers to participate in both the LADWP incentive program and a rebate effort of another local utility.

Under the expansion:

• Incentive payment limits for commercial and industrial customers were doubled from $1 million to $2 million per project;
  
• Residential customers' incentives were increased from $50,000 to $60,000 per project;
  
• The highest incentive payments of $4.50 per watt and $6.00 per watt for systems manufactured in Los Angeles, were extended to the end of 2003; and
  
• The overall Solar Program was extended to 2010.

"We are pleased to provide larger incentive payments to our customers not only to keep momentum going but to speed it up," said David Wiggs, LADWP general manager. "The Solar Incentive Program has been growing since its inception and the actions of the Board will ensure continuity for years to come and are expected to result in many more solar projects that will benefit all our customer classes - residential, commercial and industrial."

The Department notes that although the technology has been available for quite some time, residential and business solar applications have been limited. But with major solar manufacturers and assembly plants springing up in Los Angeles, local residential systems have increased from just 20 two years ago to almost 200 today.