On 9 May, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, PermaCity Solar and American fashion retailer Forever 21 unveiled plans to install a 5.1 MW (DC) high efficiency SunPower solar power system at Forever 21's headquarters in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. The system, which will be the largest single-rooftop solar power system in Los Angeles County and the third-largest in California, is expected to be completed by early fall.

The planned system makes Forever 21 the latest business to participate in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's (LADWP) Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Program. It will also become the first project to utilize both of LADWP's local solar programs — the FiT100 Set Pricing Program and the Solar Incentive Program at one location.

PermaCity is designing and installing a system for Forever 21 using SunPower solar panels. PermaCity will install the system using its SolarStrap racking product, which is manufactured in Los Angeles. According to PermaCity, SolarStrap does not create exposed penetrations that can cause roof leaks, and does not rely on bulky ballast which can stress a building's structural integrity.

When completed this summer, the system is expected to generate enough energy to power approximately 1,450 Lincoln Heights homes. According to estimates, it will avoid the annual production of almost 13 million pounds of carbon dioxide -- equal to the emissions created by burning 6 million pounds of coal, or the equivalent of taking 1,200 passenger cars off the roads.