Constellation Announces Completion of 1.2-Megawatt Solar Project at the Port of Los Angeles
Constellation, a leading competitive retail energy supplier, announced the completion of a 1.2-megawatt (DC) solar generation project yesterday at the Port of Los Angeles during an interconnection celebration with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles Business Council and other local officials.
The project is part of Los Angeles’s rooftop solar Feed-in Tariff (FiT) program. The nation’s largest of its kind, the program enables building owners to host solar projects on their rooftops and sell the power generated to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) for distribution on the city’s power grid.
“Feed-in Tariff programs like this one maximize the value of existing property by converting unused rooftops into commercial solar projects that feed the City’s grid,” said LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards. “And what’s more, FiT projects create a financial incentive for developers to begin pursuing green energy solutions for their construction projects.”
The solar project required no upfront capital from the City. Constellation will own and operate the solar power system and LADWP will purchase the electricity generated by the solar panels through a 20-year power purchase agreement. The system is located within the Port on the roofs of two classically restored 1940s-era warehouses, one of which is home to CRAFTED, a large-scale permanent marketplace that supports more than 100 local artists, crafters and food makers.
“Constellation is pleased to help the City of Los Angeles expand its impressive FiT program and transform the city’s power supply,” said Gary Fromer, senior vice president, distributed energy for Constellation. “This solar project is a great example of how public-private collaboration can expand access to renewable energy and advance sustainability goals.”
Constellation owns and operates nearly 70 megawatts of solar installations in the state and recently joined Mayor Garcetti to mark the start of construction of a separate 25-megawatt biogas-fueled cogeneration plant that will supply steam and electricity to power LA Sanitation’s Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.
PermaCity, a Los Angeles-based commercial solar design and construction company, led the development of the project.
“PermaCity is proud to have developed this project with Constellation on behalf of LADWP and CRAFTED,” said Jonathan Port, founder of PermaCity.
The solar power system is composed of approximately 3,780 photovoltaic panels and is expected to generate approximately 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in its first year. Generating the same amount of electricity using nonrenewable sources would result in the release of approximately 1,880 tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent emissions from 400 passenger vehicles annually, according to LADWP’s estimates.
