The state of California has submitted a bill that would mandate the installation of solar power on all new buildings. Current law only mandates new buildings to be “solar ready” meaning, that there has to be at least 15 % of the roof’s area free of shades. However, at the moment the bill is in the early stage and a lot is still to be figured out.
The Californian Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings (also known as Title 24) mandate all new residential homes and commercial buildings under 10 stories to have a “solar ready” roof. The proposed California bill SB 71 would shift the focus from “solar ready” to “solar installed”. This way California would be the first North American state to requiring renewable energy installations in the national law.
The idea for the new bill is not that new anyway. It is inspired by an existing San Francisco ordinance and also other, smaller, cities already have regulations of this kind.
“California is already a national leader when it comes to renewable energy legislation,” says Luciana Da Silva, Director of Marketing and Corporate Development at Adroit Energy. Moreover it would assist the state in reaching its current goal to cut carbon emissions by 40% of 1990 levels by 2030.
Nevertheless there might be some backlash as this bill would further increase the already high average cost of construction compared to other states. Senator Scott Wiener, who introduced the bill, is confident anyway: “It either pays for itself over time or you don’t even have to own the panels. You can have a third party come in and own and maintain the panels.”
An Overview of California Energy Legislation is available on adroitenergy.com.
Philipp Kronsbein / Adroit Energy
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