Resources

The cost of permitting

A 2011 report describes that local permitting and inspection add $0.50 per watt, or $2,516 per residential install, to the cost of solar. This is a major hindrance for solar and mostly unnecessary, as the experience in Germany shows, where a residential solar system only requires a one-page notification of the utility. The report can be downloaded here.

Keep it Flowing Movie

A conservation video, highlighting LADWP’s many conservation programs and a strong call for everyone to go solar.

Statistics

California Data as of 8-3-2011:
95,371 solar projects
947 megawatts installed
$8.43 avg cost/watt <10kW
$7.42 avg cost/watt >10kW

Solar power in Germany
Germany is the world’s top photovoltaics (PV) installer, with a solar PV capacity as of 2010 of almost 17,000 megawatts (MW). The German solar PV industry installed 7,400 MW from nearly one-quarter million individual systems in 2010, and solar PV provided 12 TWh (billion kilowatt-hours) of electricity in 2010, about 2% of total electricity. Some market analysts expect this could reach 25 percent by 2050. Wikipedia.

Solar radiation: LA at top of continental U.S.
In the United States, California has among the highest insolation levels for measuring the rate of solar radiation delivery as measured by NASA. With a score of 5.4 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day (kWh/(m2/day)), the Los Angeles area ranks second only to the 5.96 kWh/(m2/day) rate of Honolulu, Hawaii. Los Angeles also places higher than perennial hot-weather spots like Phoenix, Ariz. (5.38 kWh/(m2/day)); Las Vegas, Nev. (5.3 kWh/(m2/day)); and Miami, Fla. (5.26 kWh/(m2/day)). Two other areas surveyed in California likewise boast of above-average insolation rates: the Bay area near San Francisco at 5.08 kWh/(m2/day), and San Francisco proper at 4.89 kWh/(m2/day).
IHS

L.A. Business Council

L.A. Business Council design of Feed-in-Tariff and executive summary

Local Government Energy and Climate Change Planning Resources

Energy Upgrade California energyupgradeca.org
•   Statewide Webportal
◦   Homeowner decision-making tool
◦   Consumer education
◦   Contractor and rater directory
◦   Rebates and incentives
◦   Financing options
◦   Customized local program information
•   Workforce Training: Providing Subsidized Contractor Training
•   Outreach and Regional Coordination: EUC Teams on the ground in Six Regions working with Home Owners,
Contractors, Realtors, Lenders, Local Governments
•   Marketing: Statewide and print on demand for local governments and contractors
•   Pilot programs: Best practices, guidance and lessons learned from Sonoma, San Francisco,
Placer, City of LA (Mar. 2012).
•   Financing: Statewide Loan Loss reserve fund for local government financing programs (Jan. 2012)

Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative
•   Climate Action Planning tools (ICLEI): californiaseec.org
•   Beacon Awards Program (ILCG): http://www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward/Guidelines
•   Webinars, Annual Conference, Networking Events (LGC): http://www.lgc.org/SEEC/
•   Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Case Studies (Pat Stoner): http://www.lgc.org/freepub/energy/case_studies.html

Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC) lgsec.org
•   Shape regulatory policy and utility programs by speaking with one strong voice;
•   Stay informed and effective on energy issues;
•   Learn best practices from the experts and each other;
•   Reduce their own energy costs;
•   Develop long-term energy strategies.

Cool California coolcalifornia.org/local-government
•   Cost Saving Actions
•   Financial Resources
•   Carbon Footprint Calculators
•   Create a Climate Action Plan
•   Success Stories

CalAdapt cal-adapt.org/tools
Cal-Adapt tool enables city and county planners, government agencies, and the public to identify potential climate change risks in specific areas throughout California.

California Climate Adaptation Policy Guide for Local Governments
Will provide a decision-making framework for use by local and regional stakeholders to aid in the interpretation of climate science and develop a systematic rationale for reducing risks caused, or exacerbated, by climate change. This effort, lead by the California Emergency Management Agency and California Natural Resources Agency, with support from Cal Poly, will advance progress made by the California Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS) and State Hazard Mitigation Plan (SHMP) by providing straightforward, yet flexible, guidance for communities to begin taking direct actions in response to climate impacts. Completion of the guide is expected in June 2012.

Strategic Growth Council Planning and Urban Greening Grants sgc.ca.gov/planning_grants.html

HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/sustainable_housing_communities/sustainable_communities_regional_planning_grants

SolarLA.org