Located in arid territory near the Salton Sea, it would generate 55 megawatts of electricity. But the project - which was slated to be built on land bought by the city of L.A. in 2006 - is being shelved because of worries about the cost of transmitting the electricity it would generate.
The interim general manager of the city Department of Water and Power, S. David Freeman, indicated to the Times that he was concerned about paying for needed transmission capacity. And, the newspaper said, his remarks were echoed by City Council members, who reported being "bombarded" by rate-conscious L.A. residents' concerns.
Freeman and the council members agreed that the cost of energy would increase as the city increases its reliance on renewable energy sources. But Freeman suggested to the Times that the net benefit would be positive for consumers, since renewable electricity is free to generate.
The city of Los Angeles has an ambitious plan to get 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
