ROOFTOP SOLAR POTENTIAL & SOCIAL EQUITY IN LOS ANGELESMadeline WanderUP 206A Final Presentation on March 14, 2011

Rooftop Solar Potential in Los Angeles

o Reduce tenant and owner utility costs

o Create jobs for workers in Los Angeles

o Provide a new revenue stream

Photo Source: UCLA Luskin Center website http://luskin.ucla.edu/news/school-public-affairs/ucla-research-solar-energy-prompts-coalition-campaign-rooftop-solar

Rooftop solar has the potential to:

A Solar Feed-In Tariff Program for Los Angeles

o A Solar FiT Program would enable residents and businesses to install solar panels and sell the power generated by the panels back to the electrical grid

o The Program for Environmental & Regional Equity (PERE) is working with the UCLA Luskin Center and the LA Business Council to create a vision of a solar rooftop program in Los Angeles

Photo Source: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=17618

Project Objectives

PERE is working with the UCLA Luskin Center and the LABC to:o Identify rooftop capacity of multi-family and

industrial/commercial buildings in Los Angeleso Better understand the potential equity considerations

of this effort for tenants, homeowners and workers

Photo Source: http://www.ellabakercenter.org/makinggreenwork/case-studies/jobtrain/

Central Questions

o Where does multi-family, industrial and commercial solar potential exist in Los Angeles, and where is solar potential clustered?

o What are the income levels and unemployment rates of the neighborhoods surrounding potential solar sites?

o Where are the PV solar installation training programs in relation to potential solar sites?

o Which potential sites would maximize benefits to low-income tenants/homeowners and workers trained to install rooftop solar?

Solar Equity Index

Weight (for each variable)

Number of Employment

Opportunities (# of Potential MF Solar Sites)

Number of Employment

Opportunities (# of Potential

Ind/Comm Solar Sites)

Median Household Income Level

Unemploy-ment Rate

Distance from Closest Training Facility

3 >10 > 25 < $21,954 > 12.4% 0.1 – 0.5 mile

2 6 – 10 11 – 25 $21,955 – $24,850 9 – 12.3% 0.51 – 3 miles

1 3 – 5 5 – 10 $24,851 – $41,400 7.1 – 8.9% 3.1 – 5 miles

0 < 3 < 5 > $41,400 < 7% > 5.1 miles

Solar Equity Index = Weighted Number of Employment Opportunities (MF or Ind/Comm) + Weighted Median HH Income + Weighted Unemployment Rate + Weighted Distance from Closest Facility

Modeling

Model 1 – Feature to Raster Model 2 – Reclassify Raster

Metadata

GIS Skills:

o Network Analyst

GIS Skills:

o Hotspot Analysiso Spatial Analysiso Created an Indexo Geocodedo Geoprocessing

(Dissolved, Clipped)o Aggregated

Attribute Fieldso Inserted a Chart

GIS Skills:

o Attribute Sub-Selectionso Residential Parcels – Layer: SolarParcels_20110113;

"USE_TYPE" = 'Residential’o Multi-Family Parcels – Layer:

SolarParcels_20110113_Residential; "USE_DESCRI" = 'Five or more apartments‘; "USE_DESCRI" = 'Four Units (Any Combination)‘; "USE_DESCRI" = 'Rooming Houses‘; "USE_DESCRI" = 'Three Units (Any Combination)‘; "USE_DESCRI" = 'Two Units‘

o Multi-Family Parcels > 50 KW – Layer: SolarParcels_20110113_Residential_MF; "SYS_SIZE" > 49.9

o Commercial and Industrial Parcels – Layer: SolarParcels_20110113; "USE_TYPE" = 'Commercial'; "USE_TYPE" = 'Industrial’

o Commercial and Industrial Parcels > 50 KW – Layer: SolarParcels_20110113_Ind_Comm; "SYS_SIZE" > 49.9