NPR

California Moves Forward With Plan To Require Solar Panels On New Homes

The state is poised to become the first in the country to require the panels on new single-family houses, with a few exceptions. The mandate will kick in as of 2020.
Luminalt solar installers Pam Quan (right) and Walter Morales (left) install solar panels on a roof in San Francisco on Wednesday. The California Energy Commission approved a regulation that would require all new homes in the state to have solar panels.

A state board in California has approved a proposal to require solar panels on all new homes beginning in 2020, a measure that would increase the cost of new construction but provide savings on utilities — and help the state meet ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

California, which is routinely a leader in environmental regulatory efforts, would be the first state in the country with such a requirement. Several cities, including San Francisco and South Miami, Fla.,

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