Acting Globally and Locally, LADWP Demonstrates Environmental Stewardship

On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is demonstrating environmental stewardship both globally and locally.

On a global level, LADWP is on target to meet the Mayor’s climate action goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its power generation through a combination of energy conservation and renewable energy. On a local level, LADWP has dramatically reduced pollution from its in-basin power plants, enacted a slew of energy and water conservation programs in the city and embraced sustainability practices throughout its operations.

“As we celebrate Earth Day, we can proudly say that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are working,” said Austin Beutner, LADWP Interim General Manager.  “The Department is helping Los Angeles become the cleanest and greenest big city in the U.S."

Preliminary estimates show that CO2 emissions from power generation have dropped by 14 percent in the past five years and over 18 percent since 1990—halfway toward meeting the Mayor’s greenhouse gas reduction goal of 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

“The fact that we have reached this milestone is a testament to the investments the City has made in renewable energy and energy efficiency,” said Lorraine Paskett, Senior Assistant General Manager of Sustainability Program & External Affairs.

LADWP estimated that converting from fossil fuel generation to renewable energy accounts for about 80 percent of the CO2 emissions reduced between 2005 and 2009. Renewable energy—including wind, small hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal and solar energy—averaged 14 percent of LADWP’s power portfolio in 2009, up from 6 percent in 2005. During the first quarter of 2010, renewable energy accounted for just over 17 percent of total retail power sales, according to preliminary estimates.

On the local level, LADWP has undertaken a massive modernization program at its four in-basin power plants over the past decade. Old, higher polluting units have been replaced with new, state-of-the-art equipment that reduces pollution and conserves natural gas. In addition, the best pollution control technology available has been installed on all other remaining units to further reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, which contribute to smog. As a result, LADWP’s NOx emissions have been reduced by over 80% during this period.

Last year, LADWP achieved a new energy savings record of 318 gigawatt-hours (GWh) for fiscal year 2008-09 through customer-focused energy efficiency programs run by the Department. That amount of energy savings equates to removing 53,000 households from the grid and avoiding 178,700 metric tons of greenhouses gases (GHG) each year. The energy savings achievement of 318 GWh shatters the previous energy efficiency record set in 2001-2002, 164.2 GWh of energy saved.

LADWP has also worked to decrease the flow of ocean water through the in-basin power plants. At the Harbor Generating Station in San Pedro, flow was reduced by 73 percent thanks to the repowering of nine original generating units.  Previous and future repowering at Haynes Generating Station in Long Beach are expected to achieve a 50 percent flow reduction. Plans also call for repowering two units of Scattergood Generating Station in Playa Del Rey with dry cooling by 2015, resulting in a 45 percent flow reduction.

Efforts to increase energy conservation and energy efficiency within Los Angeles include: 

• Providing over 50,000 free, energy efficient refrigerators to low-income residential customers.
• Distributing 2.4 million compact fluorescents (CFL) bulbs to all residential customers (two per household).
• Providing an energy efficiency loan to the City of LA for the largest LED Streetlight Retrofit Program undertaken by any City in the world.
• Accelerating and expanding energy efficiency and energy conservation programs, resulting in a record savings of 318 gigawatt-hours in fiscal year 2008-09.
• Providing $42 million in free energy efficient lighting, including free installation, for more than 46,000 small businesses.
• Offering a menu of consumer rebate programs for energy efficient household appliances, ranging from refrigerators to pool pumps to air conditioners.
• Re-launching the electric vehicle program to help the city and region become “EV ready” by the end of 2010.
• Fostering the clean-tech industry in Los Angeles, targeting prospective solar equipment manufacturers and offering additional incentives to customers who install solar equipment manufactured in Los Angeles County.
• Expanding solar power through customer incentives and utility-built solar in the city as well as large-scale solar projects in outlying areas close to LADWP-owned existing transmission system. LADWP also expects to launch a feed-in tariff program this year, enabling third-party solar providers to sell energy to LADWP at a set price. 

LADWP is also embracing sustainable practices throughout its internal operations to reduce its impact on the environment.

“As the provider of our most precious natural resources – water and energy – LADWP has a special responsibility to demonstrate best practices in water and energy conservation and other green building practices,” Ms. Paskett said.

LADWP’s internal sustainability practices and accomplishments include: 

• Installing water-saving fixtures and implementing various water conservation measures at its downtown headquarters, the John Ferraro Building (JFB) Savings: More than 33 million gallons annually; $320,000 per year. 
• Upgrading lighting and energy efficient mechanical equipment at the JFB. Savings: $2.2 million annually.
• Installing smart controllers for all of its landscape irrigation and planting drought-tolerant and native plants.  Savings: over 33 million gallons of water annually; $320,000 in water costs per year.
• Utilizing renewable energy from the sun to power the JFB’s 150 kilowatt carport, comprised of 2,016 75-watt DC rated modules. Savings: 135,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar power each year that otherwise would be produced through fossil fuel generation.
• Recycling over 365 tons of paper, aluminum, plastic, and glass each year. Savings: 80 percent of its waste stream has been diverted from landfills since 2004.

Return to May 2010 Western Energy News

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