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The Los Angeles department of Water and Power (LADWP), has signed up more than 20,000 customers in the six months since it launched its green program, "Green Power for a Green L.A." The program offers electricity packages with as much as 100% renewable energy, including wind power, of which 20% is from new renewables sources.

LADWP, the largest municipal utility in America, made the announcement on November 19. With a customer base of 1.37 million, some 1.5% of the utility's customers are already participating in the program. "Reaching 20,000 customers is a considerable achievement for DWP. It marks the most successful green power program among any utility in the nation," says David Freeman, LADWP's general manager. "But, this is only a first step. We hope to reach upwards of 200,000 customers in the next two to three years."

Some of the utility's newest customers are two airports in Los Angeles -- including the huge Los Angeles International Airport. Los Angeles World Airports, which also oversees a smaller airport in Van Nuys, is entering into a ten year agreement with LADWP to provide 10% of its needs from renewables. The airports' goal is to ramp up that proportion of green power to 100% by 2015. Other clients include the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.