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Right now, about one in five new homes in California comes with solar panels already installed. In two years, it will be all of them.
On Wednesday, California Energy Commission's vote was unanimous: California will soon become the first state to require solar panels on all new homes and on residential buildings smaller than four stories.
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2020, specifies the minimum size of the system would be based on the size of the building and can vary between 2 and 7 kilowatts of output per dwelling.
California mandates solar panels on all new homes by 2020
Also at https://www.nytimes.com
An editorial in the Los Angeles Times expresses support for the measure.
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California Mandates Solar Panels on New Homes Under 4 Stories by 2020
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Grelb's Reminder:
Eighty percent of all people consider themselves to be above
average drivers.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Saturday May 12 2018, @11:48AM
The manufacturing cost of the panels has come down a lot in the last decade. The installation costs have not kept pace with that decline, so that's where a law like this will help. Since it's a mandate, more contractors will perforce have to retrain to install them and that in turn will bring down the costs.
Within the larger context of other requirements new construction in California must meet (setbacks and ground cover to prevent wild fires during Santa Anna winds, erosion control to prevent mudslides during El Nino rains, and that sort of thing), requiring solar panels will not feel too onerous. Also California has had a lot of electrical shortages and disruptions in the past 20 years, so homes that are self-sufficient in power will be attractive.
Washington DC delenda est.