SAN FRANCISCO — The city of Los Angeles plans to develop and sign contracts for 1,280 megawatts of solar power generation by 2020, but critics question the cost of the plan. The city-owned utility, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, plans to install 130 MW of rooftop solar panels on city homes by 2016 and develop 400 MW of commercial and industrial rooftop solar generation by 2014, the city said. The 400-MW piece of the plan would cost $3 billion, but that amount could be reduced by as much as two-thirds if federal tax subsidies, accelerated depreciation and volume discounts are factored in, the city said. The city hasn’t released details for how much the larger plan would cost, or how it would be carried out, and details on the 400-MW component are slim, leading to criticism of the plan. ‘Our members want to know how much this 400 megawatts will cost and how much the rate increases will be,’ said Gary Toebben, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. ‘None of this information is available.’ As part of the plan, LADWP for the first time would allow so-called third- party […]