While the Yellow Jackets in Paris are rioting over restrictive new rules, the citizens of California may soon be wearing straight jackets after even more restrictions and mandates flow from Sacramento.
Despite a critical housing shortage contributing to the homeless crisis the Golden State is experiencing, bureaucrats have decided to add an expensive, green-justice requirement for new homes.
The California Building Standards Commission on Wednesday unanimously upheld a May 9 decision to require solar panels on homes up to three stories. The requirement goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020.Currently, just 9% of single-family detached homes in California have solar panels. But as the state pushes toward decreasing greenhouse gas emissions—and with a 2045 goal to transition to a fully renewable energy grid devoid of fossil fuels—this rule will help accelerate that progress. Aside from energy efficiency, solar panels reduce ozone-damaging household emissions, most of which come from natural gas-generated electricity.In the long-term, solar panels benefit homeowners. While the upfront cost for building a home will increase—by as much as $10,000, according to the California Energy Commission, or as much as $25,000-30,000, according to home construction company Meritage Homes—long-term energy bill savings will be considerable.
California is now the first state in the nation to require homes be solar-powered. However, not all of its residents are thrilled with this achievement.
Nobody spoke Wednesday in opposition, but the commission received about 300 letters opposing the mandate because of the added cost, the Orange County Register reported.Energy officials estimate the provisions will add $10,000 to the cost of building a single-family home — about $8,400 from adding solar and about $1,500 for making homes more energy efficient.
A quick check on social media readily located some opposing point of views.
Then there are other factors beyond theoretical “savings” the progressive bureaucrats have failed to consider.
Solar energy has the major drawback that its production peaks when residential demand is low, and it plummets late in the day when demand peaks. This gross imbalance between supply and demand leads to bizarre market outcomes, including California producing so much power at midday that it pays Arizona to take the excess production to prevent an electrical grid overload.The large imbalance between supply and demand also stresses conventionally generated electricity production, which operates at inefficient low levels during midday, but then must increase production extremely rapidly in the late afternoon. As California increases its solar power share, this tightrope act of matching supply and demand becomes increasingly complicated and will tend to increase brownouts as operators struggle to keep up with demand.
So, how will the state deal with the likely increase in homelessness as a result even more expensive housing?
Why, with a new “right to shelter” regulation!
Every homeless person in California would have a right to a bed year-round under a statewide “right to shelter” policy proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener.The San Francisco Democrat announced SB48 on Wednesday, although key details of the bill — including how much the added shelters will cost, how they will be paid for and who will be responsible for ensuring enough beds are made available — will not be worked out until at least next year.
So, how long before San Fransisco becomes the new Paris, for reasons beyond fashion and wine?
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