The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power signed a deal with Mexico’s power agency — the Comisión Federal de Electricidad — to buy up to 100 megawatts of green or geothermal energy.
Los Angeles Mayor Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stated that the deal is monumental for the department in reaching its renewable-energy goals for the short term. The deal allows LADWP to buy up to 100 megawatts of wholesale electricity generated by CFE’s Prieto Geothermal facility in Mexicali in Baja California.
A single megawatt of energy generates about as much electricity as 800 households use. Some estimates show it has the capacity to power up to 1,000 households.
Villaraigosa stated that the deal is monumental because it allows the department to transition to using more renewable power. The deal enables LADWP to reach a milestone of 10 percent renewable power supply, on track for 20 percent renewables by 2010.
Geothermal energy is heat from within the earth.
That heat can be used to make electricity. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the earth.
The Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field is one of the largest producing geothermal fields in the world.
