STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3119

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 61

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, and Housing and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 61 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE BUILDERS TO CONSIDER CERTAIN FACTORS THAT WILL FACILITATE INSTALLATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS WHEN CONSTRUCTING AND DEVELOPING SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage the consideration of certain factors that will facilitate installation of photovoltaic systems when constructing and developing single‑family residences.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and Hawaii Solar Energy Alliance.

     Your Committees recognize the importance of encouraging builders of single-family residences in Hawaii to adopt, whenever practical, design features that would help facilitate the installation of photovoltaic systems on the rooftops of new homes. As the cost of photovoltaic systems decreases, the installation of residential photovoltaic systems may become cost effective and offer new home buyers a practical way of tapping into a clean energy source, thereby reducing the State's reliance on imported oil.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Encouraging counties, not just builders of single-family residences, to make the considerations requested by this measure, and amending the title accordingly;

     (2)  Amending language to encourage the consideration that a structure's electrical panel contains adequate space to house more than one photovoltaic system inverter output circuit; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Housing and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 61, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 61, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, and Housing and Energy and Environment,

____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair