LA DWP DRAGS ITS FEET ON SOLAR

Limited staffing for DWP’s rooftop solar energy plan causes delays, new study says

City News Service, March 27, 2015 (LA Daily News)

“The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s rooftop solar energy [feed-in-tariff] program has suffered delays, with only a small fraction of the projects generating energy since it began in 2012…[The program] allows property owners to install solar panels on their buildings and sell the energy back to the utility…But despite having already authorized 150 megawatts of solar projects, just 6.5 megawatts are currently being generated, according to the [UCLA/USC study] commissioned by the Los Angeles Business Council Institute…Another 8.2 megawatts are under contract and awaiting construction, and 56 megawatts are in the works…[T]he programs were delayed by limited staffing, with the number of the equivalent of three full-time workers in the program in 2013, even though there was originally a budget for 30…[R]esearchers recommended increasing staffing and processing applications for the program based on how ready the projects are, rather than on when they are submitted…” click here for more

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