SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California’s mandate for rooftop solar panels on all new low-rise homes was tested for the first time on Thursday, when regulators approved a Sacramento utility’s proposal to give homeowners an alternative to installing rooftop solar.
Over the objections of environmentalist activists, the California Energy Commission approved the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s plan to build its own large-scale solar site that homeowners can tap into, forgoing the need to install solar individually on each new home.
Environmentalists said it undercuts the mandate for a solar panel on every roof. But regulators sided with the utility after support from home builders and lawmakers who said the proposal provides clean energy without raising home prices in a state facing a housing crisis.
