Beginning in January 2017, all new buildings in San Francisco under 11 stories tall will be required to be outfitted with solar panels. The city will be the largest adhering to these regulations, following smaller Californian areas such as Lancaster and Sebastopol.

California currently requires all new buildings to have 15% or more of their roof space exposed to sunlight. This has enabled the successful installation of solar panels post-construction.

Scott Wiener introduced the proposal and stresses the importance of large cities taking responsibility for their air quality. He stated, "In a dense, urban environment, we need to be smart and efficient about how we maximize the use of our space to achieve goals such as promoting renewable energy and improving our environment."

These initiatives are surely advantageous to San Francisco's goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2020, a deadline quickly approaching.

Source: The Guardian