Rex Parris, the Republican Mayor of Lancaster, gave a speech this week at an event to celebrate the 1,000th new home constructed with solar panels supplied by SunPower. In his speech he announced that his city will implement a policy requirement that solar be installed on every new single-family home built in the city after January 1st 2014. The requirement will be enshrined in a new law written into Lancaster’s ‘Residential Zones Update’ on residential solar specifying that new single family homes will meet minimum solar system requirements, along with various other green building provisions.
“The purpose of the solar energy system standards,” the new law states, “is to encourage investment in solar energy on all parcels in the city, while providing guidelines for the installation of those systems that are consistent with the architectural and building standards of the City.” The law is further intended “to provide standards and procedures for builders of new homes to install solar energy systems in an effort to achieve greater usage of alternative energy.”
The law will require residential homes built on lots of 7,000 square feet or more to feature a solar system of 1.0kW to 1.5kW with rural residential homes of 100,000 square feet having a system of at least 1.5kW. Builders may be permitted to meet the requirement by providing evidence of having purchased solar energy credits from another solar-generating development located within the city.
Mayor Parris has promised to make Lancaster “the solar energy capital of the world” and has expressed confidence that he has enough votes from the City Council to push the policy through despite resistance from the building industry. His enthusiasm for the policy is based on his view that climate change is the number 1 crisis confronting the world today and consequently he has been determined to push the policy through since he was first elected in 2008.
“I understand the building industry is not happy with this,” Mayor Parris said. “We will just have to take the heat. I could not do that without a City Council - made up of people who want a political career - with the courage to take that heat. The building industry should understand that we work with them, not for them. They are not in a hurry to disrupt our partnership. Opposition would disrupt it.”
The building industry in the US is rapidly changing to embrace solar energy, despite resistance from some members of the industry. Previously, in July 2010, Lancaster implemented the Solar Lancaster programme, an affordable solar financing package which enabled solar PV installation in the city to massively increase.
“There are a rapidly increasing number of solar homes being built,” said Matt Brost, SunPower's national director for new home sales. “One of every five built in California this year will be solar powered.”
SunPower has been working with major home building companies such as Lennar Homes, Richmond American Homes and Standard Pacific Homes as well as partnering with KB Home on this current project.
Further information:
