Senator Wiener on Proposal to Require Solar Power on New Construction in California

  • Printer-friendly version
May 9, 2018

Sacramento –  Today Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) released the following statement in advance of the California Energy Commission’s decision on whether to require solar panels on new construction in California:

“California needs to take aggressive steps, like requiring solar power on new construction, so we can meet our renewable energy goals and move away from relying on dirty fossil fuels that pollute our air and degrade our environment. I want to thank the California Energy Commission for moving this proposal forward. By adopting this policy we can expand solar power throughout California, which is more crucial than ever as Donald Trump and the Federal Administration try to reverse all the progress we have made to combat climate change. Once again, California is showing its leadership in our fight for a 100% renewable energy future.”

Last year, Senator Wiener introduced legislation requiring that solar panels be installed on new construction. After speaking with representatives from the California Energy Commission, he agreed to delay the bill to allow the CEC time to adopt its own proposal, which it is taking up today. Senator Wiener also authored legislation as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that made San Francisco the first major city in the country to mandate solar installations on the roofs of new construction.

Senator Wiener has two more solar power bills pending in the legislature:

  • SB 700 would provide rebates to customers for installing energy storage systems, which allow solar power to be used at all hours of the day by addressing the so-called "duck curve" - the challenge of over-production of solar energy during the day and under-production in the evening and at night.
  • Senate Bill 1399 would dramatically expand solar power on developed lots throughout California that to date have gone underutilized. SB 1399 will connect businesses, public agencies, schools and nonprofits directly with owners of potential solar sites like warehouses, parking lots, brownfields, landfills, and office buildings, which will spur the build-out of solar on underutilized parcels.

SB 700 is currently pending in the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, and SB 1399 is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.