Los Angeles meets 20% renewable energy goal

On Thursday, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that the city has met its goal of providing 20 percent of the city's power from renewable energy sources in 2010.

The boost comes largely from the new Pine Tree Wind Power Plant -- it's the nation's largest wind farm owned by a municipal utility -- and closes Villaraigosa's 2005 promise to move its energy portfolio from 5 percent to 20 percent renewables in five years.

L.A. closed 2010 with a renewable energy portfolio that looks like this:

• 50 percent wind power
• 30 percent small hydro-electric
• 22 percent geothermal/biofuels
• 1 percent solar

The effort plays right into the mayor's "Green L.A. Action Plan," which also includes significant municipal reductions in carbon emissions and the replacement of older equipment such as generators with more efficient, cleaner models.

“We went from worst to first and quadrupled our renewable energy portfolio in a few short years while also keeping our rates lower than other major utilities," Villaraigosa said in a statement.

Photo: Ken Lund/Flickr

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com