If solar power really takes off in Louisville, expect a collision over two competing community values: trees and historic preservation.

There's some indication it's already happening, though on a small scale.

Solar installers last week acknowledged that shade trees and historic preservation policies can throw a wrench into some homeowners' solar panel planning. And one other person at Louisville's Solar Summit barked out a complaint about trees that have been designated as historically significant and how it's difficult to cut them down.

Trees cast shade, which means less solar power. Historic preservation policies in Louisville ban solar panels visible from streets in neighborhoods with preservation policies.

But Louisville has a major tree problem, as documented in a study by the Davey Resources Group made public earlier this year that found the city has been losing 54,000 trees a year. The report laid out options in dollars and cents — the hundreds of millions of dollars a year in benefits, for example, that the city's current tree canopy provides, such as cleaner air, lower cooling bills and less storm water runoff.

It also estimated Louisville will have to come up with as much as $1.7 billion on a tree-planting program over 40 years to achieve a canopy goal of covering 45 percent of its 398 square miles that includes all of Jefferson County. We are currently at 37 percent tree cover, and if we do nothing, we'll be at 21 percent by 2052.

As for historic preservation, Louisville has local preservation districts and individual landmarks designations that recognize, preserve, and protect the city's significant historic and architectural resources. Seven neighborhoods have been designated historic district, requiring government oversight of exterior alterations, demolition and new construction — and installation of solar panels.

Those neighborhoods are: Butchertown, Clifton, Cherokee Triangle, Limerick, Old Louisville, Parkland and West Main Street.

For a story that published today about the current state of solar power in Louisville, installers told me that they need to evaluate each house for its potential for successful solar technology, including roof structure and alignment, and the presence of shade trees and historic preservation policies.

The installers and city officials told me they often can find a workaround, but not always. And sometimes, the limitations may mean not enough panels can be put on a roof to cover all a home's electricity needs.

Some neighborhoods with homeowner associations and restrictions on aesthetics also totally ban solar panels, as they might also ban drying clothes outside.

It can get nasty. Remember when a judge in California in 2008 ordered a couple to cut down a couple of redwood trees that were casting a shadow on their neighbor's solar panels.

The question is what right does anyone have to the sunshine that falls on his or her property? And yes, that's increasingly a question being asked and answered. On the other hand, one homeowner can also clearly benefit from a neighbor's tree or trees, without ever having to pay a dime in maintenance.

One solution is something called community solar. It's actually already happening in Kentucky.

Berea Municipal Utilities has a community solar farm where its customers can lease solar panels and get credited on their electricity bills. LG&E told me it was reviewing community solar but had questions about its fairness, that people without solar panels may in effect subsidize those who have them.

As for historic preservation and solar, the question of coexistence may soon get some discussion, said David Coyte, the Clifton Community Council's point person on land use and historic preservation. Coyte is also a supporter of improved transporation policies and renewable energy, a developer of small-scale hydroelectric power on the Kentucky River.

"My take would be that addressing climate is a real safety issue," he told me last week. "Usually code for safety trumps historic preservation, as it should.  Whether (historic preservation officials) are willing to let someone put solar collectors on the sides of houses that face a street may challenge their aesthetic."

My own impression is that if we really get to the point of a big clash between solar power and trees, or solar power vs. historic preservation, that will be a sign that Louisville really is greening itself up. It would mean we're getting a lot more trees and a lot more demand for solar panels and the clean energy they produce.


facebook sharetwitter shareemail shareemail share
Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/1Fd9gTZ