spain mandates solar panels

via worldchanging:

The rain in Spain may fall mostly on the plain, but the photovoltaic panels will soon be just about everywhere: the Spanish government has mandated that solar power be incorporated into all new buildings.

Spain wants to take advantage of its sunshine by making solar panels compulsory in new and renovated buildings — to save fuel costs and to improve the environment. Jose Montilla, the Industry Minister, has announced that from next year, anyone who intends to build a home will be obliged to include solar panels in their plans, with the aim of turning Spain from a straggler to a European leader in the use of renewable energy. ... The Socialist Government, led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Prime Minister, is seeking a tenfold increase in the area of solar panels in use in Spain by the year 2010, from the present total of 581,000 sq metres."