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California's solar mandate may not require one on every roof

Posted at 10:23 AM, Feb 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-20 13:23:21-05

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - When California became the first state in the nation to require all new homes install solar panels, environmentalists hailed it as a bold step. But the California Energy Commission on Thursday may allow a utility in Sacramento to offer homeowners an alternative.

Instead of requiring all new single family and low-rise homes to install rooftop solar, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District would build its own large scale solar farms customers can tap into.

The case is widely watched as it's the first test of the solar mandate, which took effect in January.

Critics say the proposal undercuts the solar requirement.