Background[edit | edit source]
Created by Finn Hafting of FAST.
Literature Review[edit | edit source]
Solar Ready: An Overview of Implementation Practices
Watson, A, Guidice, L, Lisell, L, Doris, L, & Busche, S. "Solar Ready: An Overview of Implementation Practices." United States, 2012.
- Compares costs of installing PV on solar ready buildings to non solar ready buildings
- Guidelines for implementing solar ready legislation through three steps
- Summarizes scenarios where solar ready legislation exists and how it was implemented
- Provides alternatives to legislation for introducing solar ready building design into building codes
Solar ready guidelines for solar domestic hot water and photovoltaic systems.
CanmetENERGY, Canada, "Solar ready guidelines for solar domestic hot water and photovoltaic systems." 2012.
- Design considerations for installing solar hot water and PV systems on existing homes
- Specific parameters to meet to maximize energy
Near zero energy homes – What do users think?
Stephen Berry, David Whaley, Kathryn Davidson, Wasim Saman, "Near zero energy homes – What do users think?", Energy Policy, 2014, 73, pp. 127-137
- Seeks to learn if buildings designed to be near zero-energy are thermally comfortable from the building user's perspective and through temperature monitoring.
- Conducted interviews from 25 households and monitored 50 near zero-energy buildings ranging from 1-4 storey complexes.
- Found that users are satisfied with the level of thermal comfort and the buildings use significantly less energy than buildings built to lower energy standards.
- Found that there is a discrepancy in thermal performance across the seasons with the top floor of two storey buildings not providing a desirable level of thermal comfort in the summer.
Zero emission housing: Policy development in Australia and comparisons with the EU, UK, USA and California
Trivess Moore, Ralph Horne, John Morrissey, "Zero emission housing: Policy development in Australia and comparisons with the EU, UK, USA and California", Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 2014, 11, pp. 25-45
- Examines zero emission standards for housing in the EU, UK, USA, California, and Australia through the lens of facilitating socio-technical transitions (STT).
- The key elements of STT are outlined below:
- "Long-term thinking, including the setting of visions and goals, which informs short-term policy development.
- Multiple domains, actors and levels, including links to wider national and international policy development such as Kyoto protocol.
- The establishment of a transitions arena for technology and social innovation, programme development and ongoing learning.
- Policy oriented towards system innovation besides system improvement (deep structural changes).
- Reflexive governance (periodic reviews and assessment) throughout the process to ensure that the transition is 'on track' and to avoid a lock-in of technologies and practices; and
- Identification and engagement of societal actors."
- Found that elements of STT are present in many policies, however, some are absent. Five elements were found missing/limited in the Australian policy.
- STT elements are important because they foster engagement with policies on the household level; encouraging users to get involved.
Modeling California policy impacts on greenhouse gas emissions
Jeffery Greenblatt, "Modeling California policy impacts on greenhouse gas emissions", Energy Policy, 2015, 78, pp. 158-172
- Evaluates the effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission reduction policies in California between 2010-2050.
- Found that building electrification and zero net energy policies were "among the most impactful in the long-term, providing GHG benefits of >10 MtCO2e/yr each by 2050."
- California building policies that were evaluated include:
- Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) building efficiency
- Title 24 new buildings & retrofits
- CPUC Strategic Plan zero net energy buildings and building electrification
Curtailment of Renewable Energy in California and Beyond
Rachel Golden, Bentham Paulos, "Curtailment of Renewable Energy in California and Beyond", The Electricity Journal, July 2015, 28(6), pp. 36-50
- Discusses "curtailment" as a benefit at low levels ("less than ~3 percent") but a potential problem for owners and developers of renewable systems.
- Curtailment means to use less renewable energy resources to reduce overgeneration during periods of low electricity use.
- Curtailment is expected to become a problem as new rooftop solar increases California's solar capacity, but old grid technology struggles to keep up leading to overgeneration.
- To reduce curtailment, California has current/planned systems in place such as: automatic generation control, negative pricing (generators pay to produce excess), energy imbalance market, and storage technologies.
- Other systems are also suggested including diversifying the renewable resource portfolio, enhancing regional coordination (to export excess energy), and increasing load flexibility.
Red states, green laws: ideology and renewable energy legislation in the United States
D.J. Hess, Q.D. Mai, K.P. Brown. "Red states, green laws: ideology and renewable energy legislation in the United States", Energy Research and Social Science, 11, 2016, pp. 19-28
- Investigates the ideological mechanisms which lead to new green energy policies gaining more support than others in the US
- Found that policies more in line with conservative ideologies gain more support than liberal policies which may place financial burdens on the consumer and businesses
- Helps navigate a divided political landscape which is becoming a reality in Canada
Solar Ready: Harmonizing the Solar Ready Scope for Safer & more productive Solar Deployments
Jeremy Francisco Berke, "Solar Ready: Harmonizing the Solar Ready Scope for Safer & more productive Solar Deployments" University of Washington, 2018.
- Part of masters thesis
- Literature and policy review of solar ready legislation in the US
- Looks into the economic benefits of implementing solar for the consumer
- Analyzes the current installation process for solar
Pinecrest, FL: Div. 5.27. - Alternative energy systems and environmental conservation.
item (a)(3) Solar ready construction:
a. Construction of new buildings and remodeling where the cost of remodeling is more than 50 percent of the assessed value of the building shall provide a roof layout plan that illustrates how future installation of a photovoltaic system and/or solar water heating system could be accommodated. The property owner shall be required to provide for the eventual installation of one system. Requirements are as follows:
- Photovoltaic systems. Installation of an appropriate sized conduit, a minimum of one-inch diameter, leading from an exterior south-facing, east-facing, or west-facing roof, where a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight is achieved, to a stubbed junction box adjacent to the electrical meter. All exposed conduit shall be capped and provided with adequate flashing. The conduit shall not be located on or in the direction of a north-facing roof. Roof reinforcements shall be addressed at the time of installation.
- Solar heating system. Installation of three-fourths inch diameter hot and cold copper water pipes from a south-facing, east-facing, or west-facing roof, where a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight is achieved, to an existing water heater tank. Both ends of the three-fourths inch diameter copper pipes shall be stubbed out and shall not be located on or in the direction of a north-facing roof. All exposed pipes shall be capped and provided with adequate flashing. Roof reinforcements shall be addressed at the time of installation.
"Solar-Ready Provisions - Detached One- and Two-Family Dwellings, Multiple Single-Family Dwellings (Townhouses)", 2018 Seattle Residential Code Appendix T
- "New one- and two-family dwellings shall be provided with a solar-ready zone of not less than 300 square feet. Town-houses shall be provided with a solar-ready zone of not less than 150 square feet for each dwelling unit."
- Goes further to identify exceptions and qualifying roof areas
- Solar-ready zone must be free of obstructions including objects that may cast shadows "when the sun is directly east, west, or south of the solar-ready zone at 45 degrees above the horizon."
- Assumes a minimum weight of 4 pounds per square foot for panels
- Electrical service panel must also reserve space for a dual pole circuit breaker for future solar installation
St. Louis Ordinance Number 71063
Summarized ordinance (periodical article): Kelly Pickerel, "New residential and commercial construction in St. Louis now required to be solar-ready", 2019.
- Amends the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code
- Requires that "new residential, multifamily and commercial construction be SolarReady"
- Requires "a minimum solar-ready zone area free from obstructions" and "the new construction permit applicant to submit roof load design calculations, conduit sizing and routing, Solar-Ready reserved electrical service panel space and construction document certification must be provided to the building division"
Prevention through Design (PtD) to Make Solar-Ready Houses Safe for Solar Workers
Hyun Woo Lee, John Gambatese, Yohan Min. "Prevention through Design (PtD) to Make Solar-Ready Houses Safe for Solar Workers", Center for Construction Research and Training, 2020
- Suggests safety checklist for designing new solar-ready houses
- Develops "Building Information Modeling (BIM) models" to illustrate examples of the checklist in practice
- Covers all aspects of the building design including: "solar zone features, installation features, and electrical features"
- Findings from the study were verified through interviews, surveys, and case studies
State Leadership in U.S. Climate Change and Energy Policy: The California Experience
Daniel A. Mazmanian, John L. Jurewitz, Hal T. Nelson, "State Leadership in U.S. Climate Change and Energy Policy: The California Experience", Journal of Environment & Development, 2020, 29(1), pp. 51-74
- Breaks down California's environmental policy-making process into seven steps:
- "Adopt clear state goals based on prevailing science (auto emissions, water discharge, recycling waste, toxics emissions, GHG emissions, renewable energy), as well as explicit timelines to achieve these goals."
- "Assign goal achievement to expert-based, largely independent, regulatory and implementing state and local institutions."
- "Systematically measure, monitor, enforce, and publicly report program and policy results and provide transparency and a scientific and legally defensible data basis for fending off legal challenges and for supporting subsequent upward revisions in goals."
- "Provide financial and technical support to help industry and communities comply with environmental regulations."
- "Provide cobenefits that reward environmental/green/renewable activities, jobs, and attract investment capital for technology."
- "Rely on environmental/green/renewable market policies to create new business constituents and bolster political support for environmental protection."
- "Attack the problem from multiple angles (regulate, monitor, nudge business, community, and individuals; at the state, regional, local levels)."
2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), International Code Council
Appendix CB Solar-Ready Zone-Commercial
- Defines "solar-ready zone"
- Outlines requirements and exceptions for the location and size of a new building's solar-ready zone
2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, California Energy Commission
Section 150.1(c)14:
- Outlines photovoltaic requirements for single-family residential buildings
- Minimum electrical output of PV system determined by Equation 150.1-C, or the "maximum PV system size that can be installed on the building's Solar Access Roof Area (SARA)"
- Some exceptions:
- Exception 1: "For steep slope roofs, SARA shall not consider roof areas with a northerly azimuth that lies between 300 degrees and 90 degrees from true north. No PV system is required if the SARA is less than 80 contiguous square feet."
- Exception 2: "No PV system is required when the minimum PV system size specified by section 150.1(c)14 is less than 1.8 kWdc."
- Exception 3: "Buildings with enforcement-authority-approved roof designs, where the enforcement authority determines it is not possible for the PV system, including panels, modules and components and supports and attachments to the roof structure, to meet the requirements of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Standard 7-16, Chapter 7, Snow Loads."
- Exception 4: "For buildings that are approved by the local planning department prior to January 1, 2020 with mandatory conditions for approval:
- a. Shading from roof designs and configurations for steep-sloped roofs, which are required by the mandatory conditions for approval, shall be considered for the annual solar access calculations; and
- b. Roof areas that are not allowed by the mandatory conditions for approval to have PVs, shall not be considered in determining the SARA."
- Exception 5: "PV system sizes determined using Equation 150.1-C may be reduced by 25 percent if installed in conjunction with a battery storage system. The battery storage system shall meet the qualification requirements specified in Joint Appendix JA12 and have a minimum usable capacity of 7.5 kWh"
- Summary of California's 2019 standards: Julia Pyper, "Everything You Need to Know About California's New Solar Roof Mandate", Greentech Media, 2018
