LA's solar power ranks second in Calif.

Los Angeles has come in second in a survey of California cities for the amount of solar installations and solar electricity generated, a report says. Los Angeles ranks behind San Diego in terms of the number of solar installations on residential, commercial and government buildings but is closing that gap, the Environment California Research and Policy Center said in a report released Wednesday. The figures show Los Angeles is "closing in" on San Diego, report co-author Michelle Kinman said. "If city leaders embrace visionary policies today," she said in a statement, "the city can lead not only the state, but the nation toward a clean energy future." Los Angeles has more than 4,000 solar projects installed generating 36 megawatts of power, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials released the report at a Los Angeles middle school where a recently install solar system on the parking lot's shade structure is expected to save more than $1.6 million over 20 years, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said. More than 1,000 solar rooftop systems have been installed in Los Angeles since 1999, the report said.