Renewable Energy Is Way To Go For L

Renewable Energy Is Way To Go For L.A.

Apr 03 - Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif.

THIS year, Los Angeles nudged out Houston to reclaim the dubious honor of having the worst air pollution in the United States. More auspiciously, the Los Angeles City Council recently moved closer to a real commitment to cleaner air and healthier lungs, lower electricity rates and a strong economy.

By signing an agreement to purchase - at a very attractive price - energy generated by a private renewable energy plant to be built in Los Angeles, the city made an investment in its future. The innovative plant is called the Bioconverter, and it will generate electricity by processing landscape waste. It will employ about 200 union workers during construction and 50 once it is operating.

For years, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has invested in dirty power plants even as it espouses a commitment to renewable energy. Today, less than 2 percent of the DWP's power production comes from renewable sources. Even more disturbing - and probably surprising to most of the utility's customers - roughly 50 percent of the DWP's power generation is from coal-fired power plants.

Coal remains the most polluting form of power generation in use. It emits carbon dioxide, a primary contributor to global warming; nitrogen oxides, which contribute to ground-level ozone "smog"; and sulfur dioxide that transforms into fine "acid rain" particles. The DWP hasn't sited its coal plants in our back yard, but our continuing reliance on these dirty power sources forces other western states to bear the brunt of our bad energy decisions and does nothing to improve our air quality in Los Angeles.

In contrast, the Bioconverter plant is a clean addition to our region. What's more, it's an entrepreneurial venture being developed at no risk to DWP ratepayers. The DWP has agreed only to buy the electricity from the completed plant. With projects like this, Los Angeles emerges as one of the nation's centers of the rapidly growing energy technology industry. And a local commitment to buy renewable energy at affordable prices will help Los Angeles continue to attract well-paying jobs to our local economy.

Independent energy analyst William Marcus compared the costs and benefits for the DWP of a renewable energy plant versus a new conventional natural gas plant. Marcus found that over a 30-year period, the renewable plant was competitive. During the final 20 years, the renewable plant was cheaper than the conventional plant on a dollar-per-megawatt-hour basis.

Investing in renewable energy generation isn't only a good option for the environment. It makes good economic sense, too.

A state standard for renewable energy generation, passed by the Legislature in 2002, calls for the big three private utilities to generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources - like wind, solar or geothermal - by 2017. The state law, respecting the unique status of public utilities, doesn't now require the DWP to meet the 20 percent goal by 2017. But Los Angeles is wise to invest in renewable sources of energy today.

What's the alternative? Investing in outdated and polluting technologies that contribute to climate change, smog and record- high rates of asthma?

Angelenos have much experience with the effects of air pollution. We suffer from some of the highest rates of asthma in the country. One in 11 Californians has asthma, while minority and low-income communities, such as those in the northeast San Fernando Valley, suffer disproportionately. One in five minority children has asthma. Perhaps most alarming, African-American children have asthma hospitalization rates nearly three times higher than all other races in the state.

The City Council should resolve to increase the city's use of renewables by 1 percent a year or more, until it meets, matches or exceeds the state's renewable standard of 20 percent. This means developing local power from wind, solar and geothermal sources, or contracting from renewable resources generated elsewhere. It means making 2004 the year the DWP sets a true standard in excellence for its Green Power program, while it takes a big whack at the air pollution it presently is causing both locally and throughout the west.