California to require solar panels on most new homes
California to require solar panels on most new homes
It's the first state where the renewable energy is
mandatory.
By Jon Fingas May 6, 2018
There's no question that solar power is entering the
mainstream, but California is about to give it a giant boost. The state's
Energy Commission is expected to approve new energy standards that would
require solar panels on the roofs of nearly all new homes, condos and apartment
buildings from 2020 onward. There will be exemptions for homes that either
can't fit solar panels or would be blocked by taller buildings or trees, but
you'll otherwise have to go green if your property is brand new.
The plan doesn't require that a home reach net-zero
status (where the solar power completely offsets the energy consumed in a
year). However, it does provide "compliance credits" for homebuilders
who install storage batteries like Tesla's Powerwall, letting them build smaller
panel arrays knowing that excess energy will be available to use off-hours.
The new standards are poised to hike construction costs
by $25,000 to $30,000 (about half of which is directly due to solar), but the
self-produced energy is estimated to save owners $50,000 to $60,000 in
operating costs over the solar technology's expected 25-year lifespan.
Short of a surprise rejection at the Energy Commission's
May 9th vote, this will make California the first state to have a solar panel
requirement. It's relatively easy to do this in the region given California's
abundance of warm, sunny days and high real estate prices -- it's hard to see
this happening in the American Midwest, where winter and lower home prices
could make solar decidedly less practical. Critics have complained that this
could make California's housing shortage worse by pricing people out of those
homes that are available, and note that most people in the state only really
draw on non-renewable energy when they come home from work and strain the
electrical grid.
Even so, this could change the landscape for both
California's energy and the market as a whole. Right now, no more than 20
percent of new single-family homes in California include solar power. Boost
that by five times and that's a lot more business for panel makers and
installers. That, in turn, could reduce the costs of panels and make solar more
affordable in many places, not just in California or even the US.
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