Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA County Votes To Move More Than A Million Customers To 100% Renewable Energy
Giant wind turbines are powered by strong winds near Palm Springs
(
David McNew
/
Getty Images
)
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to unhook more than a million Angelenos in unincorporated areas of the county from fossil fuels. The move is another step towards reaching the county’s, and the world’s, goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal for our home electricity is one of the largest causes of global heating. Here in California, the effects of that heating show themselves primarily in worsening heatwaves, wildfires, drought and rising sea levels.
But unincorporated areas in L.A. County will be transitioning to get 100% of their energy from renewable sources, including wind and solar.
Already, 95% of residents and businesses in unincorporated areas of the county get 50% of their energy from renewable energy sources through the Clean Power Alliance.
Support for LAist comes from
Tuesday’s vote starts the process of shifting that default rate from 50 to 100%. The transition will take two to three years, according to the motion filed by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis.
Clean Power Alliance
The county established the Clean Power Alliance in 2017. It’s what’s known as a Community Choice Aggregator, which means it buys power directly on the open energy market, and then uses existing Southern California Edison power lines to ship the energy to customers.
The Clean Power Alliance gets most of its energy from wind and solar farms in California, and gets additional energy from geothermal and small hydroelectric facilities.
Tuesday’s vote means customers in unincorporated areas now join 37 cities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties that get their power through the alliance. Fifteen of those cities, home to more than 850,000 people, already have their default rates set to 100% renewables. The policy shift makes unincorporated L.A. County the single largest jurisdiction in the U.S. that has implemented a 100% renewable energy policy, according to Kuehl.
“Shifting our customers in unincorporated county and all of our county buildings is the single most impactful action our county can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Kuehl said.
The change is expected to bump rates by about $5 per month for residential customers, but charges won’t rise for people in rate assistance programs. Customers still can choose to change their rates by going with a plan that relies more on fossil fuels, or they can opt out entirely and get their power from Southern California Edison.
Support for LAist comes from
Fossil fuels are not always cheaper though. Worldwide, solar and wind power prices continue to fall year after year. In 2020, 90% of electricity generated from renewable energy was less expensive than electricity produced from fossil fuels.
And Edison rates are expected to increase by 20% next spring, making their rates higher than the Clean Power Alliance’s 100% renewable rate.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist