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Lessons learned from Los Angeles’s just energy transition initiative

Nature Energy volume 10, pages 787–788 (2025)Cite this article

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The City of Los Angeles (LA) has committed to reaching a 100% renewable, equitable electricity grid by the year 2035, and in 2021 the city released the LA100 study1, which established the feasibility of local grid decarbonization pathways. This study emphasized that only explicitly justice-oriented strategies2 would ensure equity outcomes. As a result, LA100 was followed by the LA100 Equity Strategies effort, a two-year partnership between the city’s electric utility — the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) — researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles, and local community-based organizations (CBOs). Having concluded this effort in late 20233, we are now taking stock of what others can learn from it, and believe that five key insights may be helpful for other cities working on a just transition (Table 1).

Table 1 Lessons learned from the LA100 Equity Strategies effort
Full size table

First, the LA100 Equity Strategies effort was designed around energy justice principles4,5, facilitating an engaged process and building a foundation to make the case for change in the utility. This process began with assessing current and historic inequity in LA, emphasizing the ongoing impacts of redlining, decades of disinvestment in communities of colour, and a lack of affordable housing. Further, statistical analysis of LADWP energy incentives revealed that, other than specifically low-income targeted programmes, disadvantaged communities have historically received disproportionately fewer utility investments in green technologies and home energy efficiency improvements. These findings provided the empirical evidence to spur action where past efforts have failed.

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References

  1. Cochran, J. et al. Executive summary. In The Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study (eds Cochran, J. & Denholm, P.) (NREL, 2021).

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  7. LADWP to build and operate EV fast-charging stations in L.A.’s underserved communities, offer $4,000 used EV rebate to provide working class Angelenos a clean energy future ‘powered by equity’. LADWP News (16 November 2023).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Rachel Sheinberg & Stephanie Pincetl

  2. University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin Center for Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Gregory Pierce

  3. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Gregory Reed

Authors
  1. Rachel Sheinberg
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  2. Gregory Pierce
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  3. Stephanie Pincetl
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  4. Gregory Reed
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Contributions

R.S. conceptualized and wrote the manuscript. G.P. and S.P. reviewed and edited the manuscript. G.R. reviewed the manuscript and contributed to overall conclusions.

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Correspondence to Rachel Sheinberg.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Sheinberg, R., Pierce, G., Pincetl, S. et al. Lessons learned from Los Angeles’s just energy transition initiative. Nat Energy 10, 787–788 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01759-z

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