Solar Rooftop Program Helps Low-Income Areas

LOS ANGELES—New research from UCLA and USC conducted on behalf of the Los Angeles Business Council shows that the city’s rooftop solar program could potentially have enormous benefits for low-income communities. Expanding the Clean L.A. Solar program, a solar rooftop feed-in-tariff program, would create thousands of new jobs and generate millions of dollars.

To accomplish these lofty goals, the report requests that the city expand the program from 100 to 600 megawatts and provide incentives for solar developers and property owners in low-income communities. The goal isn’t impossible. The city has 10,000 acres of rooftop space, which could potentially support an even larger program. Furthermore, 40% of L.A.’s rooftops are located in what the report designates as “solar equity hot spots,” which refers to communities with both ample rooftop space and need of socioeconomic investment.