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Solar Panel Mandate Approved by the California Energy Commission
Practical Law Legal Update w-015-0727 (Approx. 3 pages)
Solar Panel Mandate Approved by the California Energy Commission
by Practical Law Real Estate
| Published on 05 Jun 2018 • California, USA (National/Federal) |
The California Energy Commission unanimously voted to approve new energy efficiency building standards mandating solar panels for new residential construction.
On May 9, 2018, the California Energy Commission (CEC) unanimously voted to recommend new energy efficiency standards for state building regulations. Among those standards is a requirement mandating solar panels for certain types of new residential construction. In late 2018, the recommendation will go before the California Building Standards Commission for final approval.
Under the new energy efficiency standards, builders who obtain construction permits issued on or after January 1, 2020 for new single-family homes and new multifamily housing of three stories or less must install solar panels. The new requirements contemplate allowing exemptions from the solar panel mandate in certain scenarios, such as:
- Where solar panels are infeasible, including:
- when cost prohibitive;
- where the roof is in the shadow of another structure; or
- when space prohibits installation.
- When a builder installs a shared solar-power system for a number of homes, rather than an individual solar panel for each one.
In this groundbreaking move, California will be the first state in the country to mandate solar panels. Some California cities have already adopted similar requirements for solar panels (see Legal Update, San Francisco Requires Solar Panel Installation on New Buildings). With the new standards, the CEC hopes to improve energy efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions stemming from electricity and natural gas use.
For more information on solar energy, see Practice Note, Understanding Renewable Energy: Solar.