California Puts Solar on the Roof and Up For Grabs
A mandate may not be the guaranteed boon to established companies investors think.
A solar panel being installed on the roof of a home in San Francisco.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North AmericaIf we could somehow capture all the energy expended on Twitter when California approved new rooftop solar standards, we’d solve our climate problems immediately.
The perpetual emotion machine has cranked up in response to the California Energy Commission passing a new building code that will, among other things, require most low-rise residential buildings constructed after 2019 to have built-in solar-power systems. Cue rows about whether this is cost-effective versus other climate-friendly measures; will swamp wholesale power markets; makes California’s eye-watering property pricier still; and other sore points.