California Senator Scott Wiener Models State Solar Bill on S.F. Law

Newly sworn-in state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, plans to introduce legislation Monday requiring all new construction in the state to include solar panels.

The bill expands on a San Francisco city ordinance Wiener wrote while on the Board of Supervisors that requires solar panels to be put on new construction within the city, including residential and some commercial buildings. The city ordinance was passed last year and applies to any project that receives building permits after Jan. 1.

On Rooftops, a Rival for Utilities

For years, power companies have watched warily as solar panels have sprouted across the nation’s rooftops. Now, in almost panicked tones, they are fighting hard to slow the spread.

Panels in the Deer Valley section of Phoenix. Utilities say the subsidies given to solar-minded homeowners are too generous.

Utah: Bill seeks up to 75 percent tax credit for alternative energy

A Utah Senate committee approved a bill Friday that would specify state tax credits for alternative-energy producers and shift the program to the new Office of Energy Development.

SB65, sponsored by Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, would award credits starting at 20 percent and going up to 75 percent for 20 to 30 years, depending on the duration of a project’s energy production. It would apply to everything from renewables to oil shale, tar sands and nuclear.