GRA
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https://www.sfgate.com/news/us/arti...r-mandate-may-not-require-one-on-15069542.php
California's mandate for rooftop solar panels on all new low-rise homes was tested for the first time on Thursday, when regulators approved a Sacramento utility's proposal to give homeowners an alternative to installing rooftop solar.
Over the objections of environmentalist activists, the California Energy Commission approved the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's plan to build its own large-scale solar site that homeowners can tap into, forgoing the need to install solar individually on each new home.
Environmentalists said it undercuts the mandate for a solar panel on every roof. But regulators sided with the utility after support from home builders and lawmakers who said the proposal provides clean energy without raising home prices in a state facing a housing crisis. . . .
A bipartisan group of 16 Assembly members and 16 senators representing districts statewide signed onto a letter from Sen. Richard Pan endorsing the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's application ahead of Thursday. Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, a Republican representing part of Sacramento County, told commissioners the proposal would help prevent construction costs and home prices from rising further.
One senator who disagreed, Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said that the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's proposal is “anti-rooftop” because it is "an effort to shift away from rooftop solar and to utility-scale solar."
Many environmentalists agreed and said the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's large-scale solar plan went dramatically beyond the spirit of the alternative energy spelled out in the mandate. They said "community shared solar" sites ought to be small and close to buildings being served.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District counters that homeowners can still apply with the utility to install rooftop solar panels if their energy use demands it. The utility, which serves 1.5 million residents in Sacramento County and parts of neighboring counties, says its program would guarantee a financial benefit of $10 kW per year for 20 years. . . .