‘A New Age’ of Energy Saving

Your editorial “Energy: A New Age,” does well to point out the need for California to practice energy conservation. However, you state that “at the moment, there is no such thing as an environmentally benign electric power plant.” Such power plants do exist today and Luz utility-scale solar power plants have received national attention in The Times, the Washington Post and other prestigious publications. It is important for your readers to know that viable solutions to the problems posed in your editorial do exist.

Luz International Ltd. has brought solar power to utility scale and currently produces more than 90% of the world’s solar electricity. With seven solar energy plants operating in the Mojave Desert outside of Los Angeles, Luz is supplying the Southern California Edison utility grid with nearly 200 megawatts of electricity, enough for the residential needs of 270,000 people.

We are now constructing the first of five planned 80-megawatt solar plants which will be competitive with oil and coal peaking plants at less than 8 cents per kilowatt hour. With completion of the five 80-megawatt plants in 1994, Luz’s production of solar electricity will total almost 600 megawatts, enough electricity to serve the residential needs of over 800,000 Californians.

PAUL B. SAVOLDELLI

Assistant General Counsel

Luz International Ltd.