Sustainable Roofing

New Campaign Pushing for Mandated Solar on New Homes in 10 States

rooftop solar panels — The California Energy Commission adopted a sweeping change to the California Code of Regulations — effective Jan. 1, 2020, requiring new residential homes in California to have solar panel technology.

BOSTON — In January 2020, California became the first state to require all new houses to be built with solar panels. If a new campaign from Environment America succeeds, 10 more states will mandate solar power on their new homes.

Environment America, a national network of 29 environmental groups, is launching a first-of-its-kind campaign calling on at least 10 additional states across the country to set similar standards for solar power on new homes. These states include: Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.

While each state may have different goals, the campaign’s intention is to introduce bills in 10 states by 2022.

“For a generation facing the threat of climate change, the new American Dream is not ‘A car in every garage,’ it’s ‘A panel on every roof,’” said Susan Rakov, chair of Environment America’s Clean Energy program. “Power from the sun is a gift from the environment, protecting our health from dirtier power options and giving us a shot at leaving our kids a better world. We have the technology to build every new building in our communities with clean, renewable energy. So let’s do it. ”

According to Environment America, installing solar panels on all new homes from 2020 to 2026 would result in more solar energy capacity than the entire U.S. currently has installed. A solar homes requirement would cut an estimated 161 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2045. That’s the equivalent of taking more than 34 million of today’s cars off of the road.

“We cannot miss the opportunity to generate the renewable energy that comes with powering every new home with solar,” said Bronte Payne, Environment America’s Go Solar campaign director. “The most efficient time to install solar panels is when the builders are on the roof in the first place. The results lead to healthier communities for years to come.”