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California To Become First US State Mandating Solar On New Homes (ocregister.com)

OCRegister reports that "The California Energy Commission is scheduled to vote Wednesday, May 9, on new energy standards mandating most new homes have solar panels starting in 2020." From the report: Just 15 percent to 20 percent of new single-family homes built include solar, according to Bob Raymer, technical director for the California Building Industry Association. The proposed new rules would deviate slightly from another much-heralded objective: Requiring all new homes be "net-zero," meaning they would produce enough solar power to offset all electricity and natural gas consumed over the course of a year. New thinking has made that goal obsolete, state officials say. True "zero-net-energy" homes still rely on the electric power grid at night, they explained, a time when more generating plants come online using fossil fuels to generate power. In addition to widespread adoption of solar power, the new provisions include a push to increase battery storage and increase reliance on electricity over natural gas.

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  1. Re:Homes in California are already only for the ri by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 1, Troll

    Only difference now is they made it law.

    Building standards have been common place for hundreds of years and are constantly updated. Just because the latest proposals conflict with your chosen religion doesn't make it any different.