Posted on 05/07/2018 8:53:14 AM PDT by BeauBo
The state's Energy Commission is expected to approve new energy standards that would require solar panels on the roofs of nearly all new homes, condos and apartment buildings from 2020 onward. There will be exemptions for homes that either can't fit solar panels or would be blocked by taller buildings or trees, but you'll otherwise have to go green if your property is brand new.
(Excerpt) Read more at engadget.com ...
Just saw this at American Thinker:
It is an article of faith in the media that California has a “housing crisis” owing to the very high cost of homes, especially in the coastal urban areas, where most of California’s residents live. Yet the state is now adding an estimated $25,000 to $30,000 to the cost of constructing a new house in order to gratify the virtue-signaling impulses of green extremists.
Jon Fingas of Engadget (via Yahoo Finance) explains:
Link to article:
“...Interesting that this will be mandated by un-elected regulators, rather than legislators....”
Another typical move by our Marxist Sacramento Democrat government. Taking more control as usual. And they will tax it somehow as well. More Marxist intrusion.
Power, control and MONEY. It is all they do for the state, not the people.
yeah, and about that California housing “crisis”, with its scarcity of available housing ...
Exactly! If they were a good use of people's money the government would not need to require them. People would be lining up to buy them. Even with perfect site conditions in extremely sunny areas few if any installations will produce enough power to recoup the amount of money that it costs to purchase and install them during their expected useful life.
They are only really useful to people who live “off the grid” in remote locations. And then it is necessary to have battery and generator backup systems in place which adds additional expense and complexity.
We were in an Ikea store a couple weeks ago in the rainy Seattle area. They had a big mural advertising that they had installed a huge number of solar panels on the roof of their building. It was suppose to demonstrate how “green” and forward thinking the company and how they are working to "save the planet" from "global warming" etc... Obviously in a large corporation like that someone has run the numbers and knows that the project will only be worthwhile with government subsidies and expected positive PR. But they are just pushing the narrative to the sheeple because they believe that is what the sheeple want. It is a weird form of circular thinking.
How much longer until the fascists demand solar panels on every house sold?
I looked into solar power here—until I found out that it had to be connected to the grid and so would be useless during power outages.
What a joke.
And CA will tax the electricity they produce because the sun belongs to CA.
Hey what’s an extra 40 grand on a 2 million dollar bungalow?
This goes quite the opposite direction, of need for “affordable housing.”
In a couple of generations, there will only be Rich, and the Poor, in California. The Mexification of CA will be complete.
In California, on average, a 1 kW panel will produce 4.5 kWh of energy per day. Assuming an installed cost of $1 per Watt, and being paid 15 cents per kWh, solar panels will pay for themselves in 1000/(4.5*0.15) = 1481 days or a little over 4 years.
One assumption is that the panels have a good south-facing orientation, which won't be the case when they are mandatory. The second consideration is that everyone gets 15 cents for the solar power because of net metering, even if the power is not needed by the grid. That can't continue if everyone produces power because backup power will become too expensive.
It is important to stress than of all electronic devices, solar power panels (PV solar cells) are particularly likely to be instantly and totally destroyed by any EMP attack. This is because of the basic physics of the semiconductor that is at the heart of the “photovoltaic” device.
As such it is very foolish to rely on PV solar for any more than an small percent of our power needs.
Big, expensive mandates in a place where the growing unaffordability of housing is a #1 issue.
What could go wrong?
“I found out that it had to be connected to the grid and so would be useless during power outages”
Being connected to the grid should not prevent you from using them during grid power outages.
It would allow you to sell some unused excess power back during daylight hours, which are typically the peak demand hours (people running air conditioners, businesses at work, etc.). The reason regulators want lots of household solar panels connected, is because it reduces the need for some peak generating capacity (and some backup generation in case of outages).
It is a relatively marginal extra cost when getting solar panels installed (which might well be subsidized), and only a marginal benefit to grid capacity/resilience (unless it is done on a very wide scale). I don’t know if it is the most cost effective approach, but those are the arguments for requiring it.
“solar power panels (PV solar cells) are particularly likely to be instantly and totally destroyed by any EMP attack.”
Important strategic consideration.
I wonder if there is any way to mitigate that vulnerability?
Isolating components modularly? Grounding, bonding or shielding components? Installing in a way to allow easy/rapid replacement with spares? I doubt that any approaches would be attractive based on cost, but as costs drop, or for critical applications, some EMP/solar flare protections might grow in importance over time.
All new homes should have windmills on the roofs, at least 1000 feet high. Multiple occupancy units must have multiple windmills.
I wonder if this applies to a flipped house?
We live that here. I counted days this winter that the big solar farms were covered in snow, a full 3 months.
Liberal politicians getting kickbacks would be my guess.
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I’d bet on it.
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