Making a Market Executive Summary.pdf - UCLA Luskin School of ...

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The beauty of the solar panels is that they offset our costs so much so that we pay nothing for utilities, allowing us to funnel those savings into our resident programs, providing computers, education programs and activities for the community. – Mary Silverstein, Executive Director, Los Angeles Housing Partnership (LAHP) in reference to LAHP’s Seven Maples Senior Housing Development What are some of the barriers to success, and how can they be overcome? As with any major policy undertaking, there are a number of potential barriers which must be examined to ensure that a program is well-designed and likely to succeed. The most significant barriers include the current lack of significant local incentives, as discussed above; the difficulty in channeling benefits directly to tenants; and the challenge of ensuring that job-creation benefits remain in the local community. A closer examination of each of these barriers follows: Barrier #1: Local solar incentives are declining, and there is currently no solar FiT in Los Angeles As noted above, an effective payment of 24-26 cents per kilowatt-hour will be necessary to adequately incentivize participation. This incentive can take the form of net metering (payment combined with rebate) or a FiT. Currently, net metering rebates are declining and the solar incentive program is oversubscribed, while a FiT has not yet been enacted. Policy makers can easily determine that the benefits of a robust incentive program offset its modest costs, and that the solar FiT is an important policy solution for reasons outlined in this and previous studies. To enact these programs, they must prioritize solar and budget accordingly. As a result of our initial studies and the Mayor’s commitment, the LADWP has proposed a minimum of 150 MW of FiT in the 2011 Integrated Resources Plan. Barrier #2: It is difficult to channel benefits from a solar program directly to tenants While building owners will benefit directly from reduced energy costs (or direct payments, in the case of a FiT), there are no easy mechanisms to ensure that benefits flow through directly to tenants. We have discussed some of the ways in which these benefits can be passed on. One possibility would be to require that building owners participating in a solar energy program also participate in energy efficiency programs that would directly benefit residents in the form of rebates or reduced utility costs. These cost savings may eventually result in lower rent levels as well. For affordable housing units, where residents’ rent levels are often fixed, it may be possible to create an energy savings account to fund improvements to housing amenities and improved services for residents. Through the installation of solar panels on its rooftop, LA Housing Partnership’s (LAHP) Seven Maples, an affordable senior living development in MacArthur Park has offset utility costs throughout the building, allowing costs savings to be directed to tenant services. Mary Silverstein, the Executive Director of LAHP states, “The beauty of the solar panels is that they offset our costs so much so that we pay nothing for utilities, allowing us to funnel those savings into our resident programs, providing computers, education programs and activities for the community.” 14
Barrier #3: It is a challenge to ensure that job creation benefits accrue to local residents, particularly in economically distressed areas A number of policy solutions could be implemented to ensure that the economic and employment benefits created by a solar energy program remain in the local area. A local labor requirement could ensure that work associated with installation goes to area businesses; DWP could use socioeconomic data to target its projects in economically distressed neighborhoods, as discussed earlier; and job training programs could be expanded in neighborhoods where multi-family solar installations are located. While this list of potential barriers and remedies is not exhaustive, it gives a sense of some of the major challenges and policy solutions available to city leaders. We believe that a thoughtful policy debate will lead to a well-crafted program with great benefit both to targeted neighborhoods and to the city as a whole. Conclusion With city leaders prepared to embark on a meaningful solar energy program, Los Angeles has the opportunity to ensure the broadest possible participation and benefits. By creating a robust multi-family component of the solar program, city leaders will serve many policy goals. Such a program would magnify the region’s solar-energy potential; contribute significantly to economic development in the form of investment and jobs, largely in distressed neighborhoods; and give lower-income Angelenos, many of whom do not have the same luxuries of choice as upper-income residents, the opportunity to participate in major environmental solutions. Our primary policy recommendation is that the City of Los Angeles create a FiT, or increase the net-metering program for multi-family buildings with an effective payment of 24 to 26 cents per kilowatt-hour that includes the following elements: An energy efficiency tie-in that would allow residents to benefit from rebates or reduced utility costs Local job-training programs that would enable more of these residents to be trained for the numerous manufacturing, installation and other jobs that will be created Through a well-designed program, city leaders can ensure that tangible benefits reach residents in the form of rebates, lower utility rates and possibly lower rent levels. In all, a robust multi-family component is a key part of a solar energy program for Los Angeles and stands to benefit many of its residents. L.A. Housing Department Gateway 2 Green Among the many ways in which L.A. is moving to achieve energy efficiency is a new program by the L.A. Housing Department (LAHD) called Gateway 2 Green, which will allow existing LAHD inspectors to perform gateway energy assessments at all of the city’s 100,000 multi-family rental properties on a continuing four-year cycle. This program will provide property owners with detailed information about their water and energy use in order to suggest retrofit work that conserves resources and lowers costs. As a result, the program will also create new jobs for energy and water efficiency assessment professionals and construction trade workers. The LAHD anticipates the program will lead multi-family property owners to make significant investments to increase the efficiency of their buildings. After learning about their current energy and resource consumption and the potential savings offered by improved efficiency, building owners are likely to invest in full building sustainability audits, building retrofits, and enhanced energy-saving and water-saving appliances. For more information, visit https://lahd.lacity.org/lahdinternet/. Photo Credits Cover Upper Right Side - Angela Means, Angela Means Photography Cover Large - Carlton Court. McCormack Baron Salazar Pages 8-9 - Bonnie Brae Villages. Angela Means, Angela Means Photography Page 10 - Carlton Court. McCormack Baron Salazar Page 13 - Carlton Court. Sunwheel Energy Partners Page 14 - Angela Means, Angela Means Photography 15
Page 1 and 2: MAKING A MARKET: Multifamily Roofto
Page 3 and 4: April 12, 2011 Dear Business and Co
Page 5 and 6: As a follow-up to two rigorous stud
Page 7 and 8: We estimate that about 300 megawatt
Page 9 and 10: Would solar investment in multi-fam
Page 11 and 12: Data sources: UCLA Luskin Center (S
Page 13: Our analysis indicates that: Pa

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