California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
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Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#2Everyone who’s long CA real estate can bank it because the government is doing its best to ensure that no new housing gets built.
Gg “environmentalist” Sierra Club.
FTA specifically larger housing developers have been preparing for this for years—along with the solar lobby. So dumb, CA deserves to go bankrupt and be overrun by homelessness.
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#3Saw this in my rss this morning:
https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2018/05/ro...
>I just became aware in the last few days of the proposal in the new building energy efficiency standards rule making to mandate rooftop solar on all new residential buildings. I want to urge you not to adopt the standard. I, along with the vast majority of energy economist, believe that residential rooftop solar is a much more expensive way to move towards renewable energy than larger solar and wind installations. The savings calculated for the households are based on residential electricity rates that are far above the actual cost of providing incremental energy, so embody a large cross subsidy from other ratepayers. This would be a very expensive way to expand renewables and would not be a cost-effective practice that other states and countries could adopt to reduce their own greenhouse gas footprints.
>I agree and would add that allowing more building near transit and other hubs as with California’s rejected SB827 would not only lower housing prices, rather than raise them as with this proposal, it would also be a much better way of reducing carbon emissions and saving energy.
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#4Related discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17007630.
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#5So I guess putting up shade trees to reduce cooling costs isn't a thing any more? Is it net positive to use solar panels? Trees and houses just won't go together any more?
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#6Given how little PV costs compared to an average new build, I’m surprised it took this long to be a requirement anywhere. The cells themselves are, what, US$920 for 4kW? And most of the rest is installation cost which is much lower if it is an alternative to rather than a bolt-on to a normal roof?
Sure, it’s more for batteries and inverters, but PV or thermal should’ve been standard even a decade ago.
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#7Good night. Once upon a time in 1983, my grandparents bought a mobile home and put it out on rural property. They paid $300 for the water company to install a water meter and about $1500 for a septic tank install.
Now I'm trying to do the same thing (and on the same property). The water meter is $5,000 (cash only in full), and the septic tank is $15,000. If I was also required to have solar, I'd really be screwed...
Starting to think that working in Tech isn't even worth it anymore. We don't have big government lobbyists making rules to make software more complicated 'just because' every year and thus driving cost up (and making me more money). If my math is right, I'm pretty sure per my sad story above, I'm estimating that the septic people I am trying to work with are pulling in $3k-$5k+ (profit) a week in septic installs (its only a husband and wife outfit and in an area where rent is less than $1k a month....)
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#8Not only is residential solar just about the most expensive (and thus innefficient) form of solar power available, but this is coming at a time when new construction of affordable housing is most needed. The only reason this is considered a 'cost effective' measure, is because the entire cost is forced on the shoulders of homebuyers.
Saddling all new residential construction with this burden serves 2 priary purposes - virtue signalling, and lining the pockets of solar manufacturers. Crony capitalism at it's best!
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#9So I guess putting up shade trees to reduce cooling costs isn't a thing any more? Is it net positive to use solar panels? Trees and houses just won't go together any more?
That's a good point... and pretty sad actually...
Edit: And I can't help but think of the driven up cost of roof repairs. So 10-15 years down the road when you get a leak in your roof.. now you got to pay labor to pull the panels before you can even repair the roof...
Re: California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes
#10California loves requiring anything that will reduce the number of homes they actually build.