8 years ago
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San Francisco just became the first big US city to require solar panels on new buildings
Solar system installer Thomas Bywater adjusts new solar panels on the roof of a house in Sydney, August 19, 2009. San Francisco may be known for its fog, but the city wants to turn the sunny days it does get into power for its buildings. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation that would require new construction that is shorter than 10 floors to install solar panels or solar water heaters on top of both new residential and commercial buildings.
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Wonder how they deal with shading by nearby buildings? If your roof doesn't get much direct sunlight no amount of mandatory solar panels will help generate renewable energy. Like the green roof idea though - lots of benefits from green roofs in urban environments such as reduced urban heat island affects, stormwater management, reduced energy consumption, and if designed properly can extend the life of the roof.