Solar Panels and Renewable Energy

by | Jun 1, 2023 | Renewable Enegery

Title 24 Mandate

In 2022 the California Energy Commission (CEC) published the latest version of the Building Energy Efficiency Standards with the release of Title 24, which covers both residential and commercial properties. Features of the new mandate are:

  • Beginning January 1, 2023, all newly constructed buildings shall have a PV system (solar photovoltaic) installed.
  • In addition, all new buildings will be required to have a PV system and a battery storage system.
  • The commercial buildings included are offices, hotels, medical buildings, clinics, restaurants, schools, theaters, grocery stores, retail, auditoriums, and convention centers.

By mandating solar and storage installation in new commercial buildings, it is expected to significantly accelerate deployments of solar and energy storage projects in the non-residential sector. The CEC estimates it will generate an additional 280 megawatts (MW) of solar deployments annually.

According to the Sierra Club, 49 California municipalities already have building codes that restrict or ban natural gas in new construction, but the changes advanced with the new mandate would greatly broaden the departure from fossil fuels.

Benefits

The immediate benefits of mandate compliance are:

  1. A practical benefit from compliance is having access to a secondary energy source in case of a blackout, which is not an infrequent occurrence in California.
  2. As for financial incentives, complying with the mandate may make your business eligible for federal and state tax credits, such as the solar investment tax credit.
  3. It could also make your company eligible for cash rebates from local utilities all while saving your business money on energy costs.

Prisons, Winemakers, and Restaurant Examples

Examples of renewable energy construction include:

    1. The Salinas Valley State Prison and Correctional Training Facility in Soledad are both employing renewable energy to meet 100 percent of their electricity needs, through a combination of solar panels, wind turbines, along with green energy purchased from Monterey Bay Community Power.
    2. ESS Tech, Inc., a leading manufacturer of prolonged energy storage systems, revealed in

April that it will deliver three Energy Warehouse systems to Coldwell Solar, a major

developer, and builder of renewable energy projects in California. The systems will be

positioned in a solar storage microgrid at Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars, and Domaine Anderson, California wineries located in Mendocino County known for their sparkling and still wines.

  1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, one of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S., announced an innovative design for its stores that features all-electric appliances and on-site solar. The restaurants will also purchase renewable energy credits generated by solar and wind assets. The Newport Beach, Calif.-based restaurant chain will feature rooftop solar,

all-electric cooking equipment, energy management systems, and EV charging stations at select locations.

  1. In early March, the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated a milestone in the construction of their future home, with the capping of the Intuit Dome. The new Inglewood arena will be fully electric throughout with batteries and solar power delivering enough on-site energy storage to power an entire game.

For more information on how LA Creed is spearheading a sustainable, environmentally friendly

impact on your community visit https://creedla.com.