Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on March 24 was joined by United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, leading energy scientists and local elected officials to announce the findings of the Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study, also known as LA100, — an unprecedented analysis of the city’s pathways to reaching a 100% renewable energy grid while prioritizing equity, reliability and affordable rates for local residents.

“Los Angeles isn’t waiting for solutions to the climate crisis to show up on our doorstep – we’re forging the path to a resilient, green power grid ourselves,” Garcetti said. “This groundbreaking study will help put our city on the fast track to a 100% renewable energy future and provide a blueprint for an affordable, reliable and sustainable system for cities around the world.”

LA100 is the result of a three-year analysis by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The study looked at how LADWP — a vertically integrated utility that owns its generation, transmission and distribution system to more than 4 million people — can meet clean energy targets established by Garcetti.

“With help of NREL’s brilliant scientists, the LA100 study is proof that the clean energy transformation is not only possible, but preferable, for all those who want cleaner air, high-quality jobs and cheaper utility bills,” Granholm said. “DOE invites all of America’s cities and utilities to join the vanguard of this revolution, so that together we can tackle the climate crisis, create an economic renaissance and help every community see and feel the benefits of a greener future.”

LADWP, the largest municipal utility in the country, currently generates over half of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon resources. Using cutting-edge technology to combine dozens of economic, energy and public health models, LA100 produced more than 100 million simulations to build on that record and identify a series of pathways that will lead the department to 100% renewable energy. The analysis affirmed that reaching a 100% renewable, reliable and resilient grid is within Los Angeles’ grasp and will provide a wide range of health and economic benefits to Angelenos.

The analysis also determined that LADWP will need to bring more nascent forms of clean energy generation into the mix. It pointed to the infrastructure required to produce and store green hydrogen power as a leading option to bridge this gap, and left room for other forms of energy generation that will need to be developed in the years ahead to help store and provide clean power during periods of extremely high demand.

For information, visit nrel.gov/analysis/los-angeles-100-percent-renewable-study.html.