Massachusetts lawmakers urged to adopt “million solar roofs” equivalent
In California, Governor Schwarzenegger’s million solar roofs initiative spurred the nation’s largest small-scale solar market. Environment America created a petition to support a 10 GW buildout of solar in Massachusetts to preserve its forests and other lands.
Fire department nets 40% tax credit and $18,000 state rebate for rooftop solar
A fire station in Superior, Wisconsin will save on energy bills and cut emissions with solar.
Rooftop solar has technical potential to meet 45% of U.S. electricity demand
Today, it only represents about 1.5% of the electricity used. A report from Environment America shows how installed rooftop solar increased 1000% in the past decade, and how it has a long runway of growth ahead.
California introduces bill to reevaluate rooftop solar net metering
Assemblymember Laura Friedman introduced a bill that would require the California Public Utilities Commission to consider the costs and benefits of rooftop solar and its non-energy benefits when designing net metering rates.
Hawaii legislation seeks to undo “massive momentum killer” for rooftop solar
After passing a new solar-battery export program that has sparked the ire of rooftop solar advocates, legislators have submitted a bill that would increase payment for battery-tied exported solar production.
North Carolina appeals court weighs critical rooftop solar decision
Environmental advocates appealed a cut to rooftop solar generation exports, arguing that utility Duke Energy ignored the benefits of customer-sited solar in its internal analysis of net metering rates.
Building not your average dream home: The roof
A benefit to designing the roof for optimal solar production is the ability to plan for all the ventilation and plumbing to be on the north-facing side to both maximize system size and prevent any energy losses from shading.
Nebraska introduces legislation to prevent HOA from barring solar installation
Under the bill, any regulations prohibiting solar installations would be deemed void and would have a civil cause of action of violation occurs.
California unlikely to reach clean energy targets without rooftop solar
The state’s rooftop solar industry is rapidly shedding jobs and losing companies to bankruptcy due to adversarial policy changes. The California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA) offered some near-term policy changes to slow the bleeding and to address the cause of this crisis.
The wild side of rooftop solar
While keeping rooftop solar panels clean and regularly maintained can deter most unwelcome visitors, householders may sometimes have to take more concrete measures to avoid wildlife taking up residence.
