*By Alisha Haridasani*
California, the state most aggressively pursuing clean energy policies, became the first in the country to require almost all new homes have solar panels.
The new rule, adopted by the California Energy Commission on Wednesday, will apply to all residential buildings up to three stories tall built after January 1, 2020.
This change in the building code is expected to add around [$10,000](http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/2019standards/documents/2018_Title_24_2019_Residential_Standards.pdf) to the cost of a new home. But the commission [estimated](http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/2018_releases/2018-05-09_building_standards_adopted_nr.html) the panels could save home owners around $80 a month on utility bills, and will slash greenhouse gas emissions “by an amount equivalent to taking 115,000 fossil fuel cars off the road.”
The requirement is part of California’s push to get half the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The state already relies on renewables for around 25 percent of its electricity, and it is expected to rise to around 33 percent by 2020.
The California Building Standards Commission must formally adopt the rule, which it is expected to do, said Mark Kaufman, Mashable’s science reporter. “California is really keen on solar, just like Texas is really keen on wind,” Kaufman said.
Shares of solar companies, such as SunRun and First Solar, rallied on Thursday.
Ahead of the Meta shareholder meeting, more than five hundred doctors have jointly sent a letter to investors to hold the Facebook parent accountable for the risks its platforms have posed to the public and mental health. Dr. Rob Davidson, a West Michigan ER physician and executive director of the Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar News to discuss how medical professionals are coming together to highlight the social media giant's spread of misinformation, especially during the pandemic. "We've seen the direct impacts of misinformation and disinformation that spreads like wildfire on the social media platforms," he said. "Our goal with this letter is to try to get the shareholders of Meta to convince leadership that they need to do a better job."
Snap downgraded its earnings and revenue expectations for the second quarter, saying the "macroeconomic environment" has deteriorated faster than the company anticipated. The warning sent shockwaves through the digital ad industry, dragging down a handful of other tech stocks, including Pinterest, Meta, and Twitter. Daniel Cobb, CEO and Chief Strategy Officer of Daniel Brian Advertising, joined Cheddar to discuss the reason behind this warning, and why it's bringing so many social media stocks down.
