Anapol, A. (2018, December 06). California officials give final approval to requiring solar panels on new homes. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/420022-california-officials-give-final-approval-to-requiring-solar-panels

 

In another effort to reduce greenhouse gasses and additionally generating energy without using fossil fuels, California, as of May 2018, has implemented a new policy that solar panels have to be built on all new houses in 2020 or later. The only biggest concern is that it adds about $10,000 to the cost of the building. But  “commissioners estimated that homeowners will save about $19,000 in energy costs over 30 years by having solar panels”. Kent Sasaka, who voted for this policy says that “these provisions really are historic and will be a beacon of light for the rest of the country”. Hopefully, other states and even countries will be encouraged to take similar actions.

 

The relates to environmental science because by requiring newly built homes to have solar panels it generates renewable energy and decreases the dependency on using other sources of energy like fossil fuels. I think that like the zero-emissions buses, this is a good step in the right direction for trying to make a positive change with greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and renewable energy. It just raises a question of how can we make it more affordable, especially for low-income families.