Solar Power in California Homes will be a requirement in any new build in the state.

According to the New York Times, the California Energy Commission is close to approving this requirement, which would take effect in 2020, and that there are other states who are also considering a similar legislation.

This would make California the first state to implement this sort of requirement.

The addition of solar panels to a home will increase costs by nearly $8,000 USD to $12,000.

Cost of the solar panels could be offset through a new rate system that the Energy Commission is planning on implementing next year.

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With this system, customers will be charged based on the time of day that they use electricity which, according to the New York Times, will help “those with solar power…avoid higher costs.”

Currently, California has a law that says 50% of the state’s electricity should be coming from non-carbon sources by 2030.

Andrew McAllister, a member of the Energy Commission, has said that this would be an important “part of an overall suite of reforms to reduce greenhouse gases.”

Approximately 15,000 out of the average 80,000 homes that are built in California each year include some form of solar power.

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California Solar and Storage Association’s Director of Technology Advancement, Kelly Knutsen, has also stated that solar power is cost-effective in almost every single climate and “will pay for itself.”

California will sometimes generate too much solar and wind energy so, in order to not overload the electrical grid, it will temporarily stop production and give energy away to other states.

Solar power in California provided nearly 16% of the state’s electricity by the end of 2017.

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