Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Commission Backs Off Rooftop Solar Mandate
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
February 21, 2020

Share

When California finalized the nation’s first sweeping rooftop solar mandate for new construction last year, advocates pictured a utopia of all homes being built with solar panels, turning the clunky panels into the new norm to help the state achieve carbon neutrality.
But those images of self-sustaining abodes may have been dashed today after the California Energy Commission voted unanimously to allow a Sacramento utility to substitute power from a large solar farm to meet the state’s home energy goals.

Solar Mandate Took Effect Jan. 1

The mandate that took effect Jan. 1 calls for new single family houses or low-rise apartments to install solar panels. Alternately, utilities and organizations may apply to the California Energy Commission to build an offsite”community shared solar” site for buildings to draw from.
Seizing on that latter option, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District wants to build its own solar farms on a grand scale for homeowners to tap into, allowing new homes to forego installing their own solar panels and preventing increased construction costs.


The energy commission’s approval of the utility’s idea may now set a blueprint for private and public entities to seek their own large solar sites to meet the mandate, watchers say. The largest public utility in the U.S., the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, endorsed the idea in filings to the commission. Many construction groups backed it too.

Environmentalists Criticize Commision’s ‘About-Face’

Prior to the meeting, environmentalists said approval from the commission would amount to an about-face after its five members unanimously passed the solar rooftop mandate in 2018. At the time, the commission estimated solar panels would increase construction costs by $9,500 for a single family home but said owners would save about $19,000 over 30 years.
“The result will be the end of the solar homes mandate before it even started,” said Dave Rosenfeld, director of Solar Rights Alliance, which mobilized hundreds of homeowners to send letters opposing approval.
In an indication of the case’s far-reaching effects, a bipartisan group of 16 Assembly members and 16 senators representing districts statewide signed onto a letter from Sen. Richard Pan endorsing the plan. They say not all home buyers can afford houses with solar panels.
The SMUD proposal “allows builders, developers, and prospective homebuyers an alternate option should they determine that rooftop solar is not the best or most economical way for them to receive renewable generation,” wrote Pan, a Democrat from Sacramento.

California Just Surpassed 1 Million Solar Roofs

Homes would still be powered by clean energy from the sun. But environmentalists warned the spirit of the law would be lost after California 2 months ago hit the milestone of 1 million solar roofs. They argued that more rooftop panels would put California on firmer footing to meeting its 2045 goal of receiving all electricity from renewable sources.
“Every time someone sees a solar roof in their neighborhood, or on their school or when they drive around, that gives them hope that we can solve this climate crisis,” said Dan Jacobson, director of Environment California. “I think that in Sacramento, bureaucrats tend to forget that.”
Rooftop solar panels also ensure a home could power itself with the help of batteries even during an electrical shutoff in a state dealing with years of upcoming power blackouts to prevent wildfires.
SMUD countered that homeowners can still apply with the utility to install rooftop solar panels if their energy use demands it. Ed Hamzawi, director of advanced energy solutions at SMUD, also said some builders will still insist on installing their own solar panels because “there is a customer demand.”
“We think those two issues are overblown,” he added.

Builder Says Offsite Solar More Efficient

After the commission put off a decision last November, SMUD filed a revised proposal in January that would ensure all the renewable power for its program comes from local sources, which won the support of the commission’s staff.
The utility,which serves 1.5 million residents in Sacramento County and parts of neighboring counties, also doubled the guaranteed financial benefit to participating homeowners to $10 kW per year.
Mark Hanson, director of a project that is building 8,000 residences in eastern Sacramento County, said allowing utilities to build a massive solar program is more efficient than putting a panel on every home. His project, Cordova Hills, is planning a 100-acre solar farm onsite but also would like to tap into Sacramento utility’s program as a fallback, he said.
“On cloudy days, the solar’s not going to produce as much,” he said. “And so we need a backstop.”
GV Wire contributed to this report.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

DON'T MISS

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

DON'T MISS

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

DON'T MISS

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

DON'T MISS

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

DON'T MISS

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

DON'T MISS

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

DON'T MISS

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

California Food Banks Brace for Funding Cuts, and Not Only From the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Cal State Automatically Admitting High School Students With Good Grades

UP NEXT

California Democratic Lawmaker Exaggerated His Record as a Police Officer

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

UP NEXT

Trump Challenges California on Transgender Parental Notification

UP NEXT

Fresno Mayor Praises a State Bill That Would Speed In-Fill Housing

UP NEXT

Feds Revive Funding for the Tiny Delta Smelt Trump Hates

UP NEXT

Will This Bill Be the End of California’s Housing vs. Environment Wars?

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

15 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

16 hours ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

1 day ago

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

1 day ago

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

2 days ago

Myanmar’s Earthquake Death Toll Jumps to 1,644 as More Bodies Are Recovered From the Rubble

2 days ago

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

2 days ago

If You Want to Ski Affordably Next Season, Buy Now

2 days ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

Last year, The Merced FOCUS reported that for the first time in over a decade, a crucial service for survivors of sexual assault would be of...

14 hours ago

14 hours ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

14 hours ago

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

15 hours ago

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

15 hours ago

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

16 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

1 day ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend