California Really DOES Suck!

[PlatyPius 5]

In California, it's solar panels vs. redwoods

Neighbors fight over what's best for the environment

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - In an environmental dispute seemingly scripted for eco-friendly California, a man asked prosecutors to file charges against his neighbors because their towering redwoods blocked sunlight to his backyard solar panels.But the couple next door insisted they should not have to chop down the trees to accommodate Mark Vargas' energy demands because they planted the redwoods before he installed the solar panels in 2001.

Experts say such clashes could become more common as California promotes renewable energy and solar systems become more popular.

"Five or ten years ago, you wouldn't have seen this case because there weren't that many systems around," said Frank Schiavo, a retired environmental-studies professor at San Jose State University. "I can almost guarantee there are going to be more conflicts."After more than six years of legal wrangling, a judge recently ordered Richard Treanor and his wife, Carolyn Bissett, to cut down two of their eight redwoods, citing an obscure state law that protects a homeowner's right to sunlight.

The couple does not plan to appeal the ruling because they can no longer afford the legal expenses, but they plan to lobby state lawmakers to change or scrap the law.

The Solar Shade Control Act means that homeowners can "suddenly become a criminal the day a tree grows big enough to shade a solar panel," Treanor said.

The case marks the first time a homeowner has been convicted of violating the law, which was enacted three decades ago, when few homeowners had solar systems.

New growth is subject to law

The law requires homeowners to keep their trees or shrubs from shading more than 10 percent of a neighbor's solar panels between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun is strongest. Existing trees that cast shadows when the panels are installed are exempt, but new growth is subject to the law.

Residents can be fined up to $1,000 a day for violations, though the judge did not impose any fines against the Treanors.

Vargas says the law protects his $70,000 investment in solar power, and he believes it should be strengthened.

"I think it's unfair that a neighbor can take away this source of energy from another neighbor," he said.

Treanor, a retired engineer, said he and his wife are not against solar power, "but we think there's a rational way to implement it."

Solar power is growing rapidly in California, which is by far the nation's biggest generator of solar energy. In 2007, more than 30,000 California homes and businesses had rooftop solar panels, with the capacity to generate 400 megawatts of electricity.

That's as much as eight power plants, according to the nonprofit Environment California.

The boom is being fueled by the California Solar Initiative, which offers homeowners and businesses more than $3 billion in rebates over the next decade to install solar-electric systems.

Doing what's environmentally right

Both sides say they want to do what's best for the environment.

Treanor and Bissett, who drive a hybrid Toyota Prius, argue that trees absorb carbon dioxide, cool the surrounding air and provide a habitat for wildlife.

Vargas, who recently bought a plug-in electric car, counters it would take two or three acres of trees to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as much as the solar panels that cover his roof and backyard trellis.

Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California, says the solar shade law might need to be revised to prevent similar disputes.

"We want to make sure we are protecting individuals who have invested a lot of money in solar power, which is an important resource for the state," she said. But lawmakers might want to "take a look at the policy and make sure it's written in a way that's fair to everybody."

Edited February 20, 2008 by Rocinante

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I love trees!

[PlatyPius 5]

So, let me get this straight....

Some moron can move in next to you, install solar panels, and THEN complain that your trees block the light to his solar panels AND force you to cut your trees down?

Has California ever heard of Oxygen? How about Erosion? Maybe "Habitat"?

What a bunch of Chopf##ks.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I posted this story a couple of weeks ago. It's a similar situation with the one neighbor's outside security light being so bright. There's got to be middle ground but this comes down to property rights and when one's property rights collide with anothers.

[Peikko 1,575]

Yes, Californians really do hate trees.

[PlatyPius 5]

I posted this story a couple of weeks ago. It's a similar situation with the one neighbor's outside security light being so bright. There's got to be middle ground but this comes down to property rights and when one's property rights collide with anothers.

Must have missed it....

If the trees were there first, then I don't see how anyone with a functioning brain stem could rule for the solar panels.

[Ban Hammer 12,897]

So, let me get this straight....

Some moron can move in next to you, install solar panels, and THEN complain that your trees block the light to his solar panels AND force you to cut your trees down?

Has California ever heard of Oxygen? How about Erosion? Maybe "Habitat"?

What a bunch of Chopf##ks.

welcome to granolaville.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I posted this story a couple of weeks ago. It's a similar situation with the one neighbor's outside security light being so bright. There's got to be middle ground but this comes down to property rights and when one's property rights collide with anothers.

Must have missed it....

If the trees were there first, then I don't see how anyone with a functioning brain stem could rule for the solar panels.

In principal, I agree, but the trees this guy planted I believe redwoods which have already grown to over 30 ft. in height and as I recall, completely shade the neighbor's house from any sunlight. I'm not sure what the solution would be - but I'm sure they can find a compromise that's acceptable to both parties.

[♥JP♥ 5]

I'm from California, actually I work in Sunnyvale which is the same city where this dispute is taking place. I love trees and hate granola. This story has actually been on our local news channels for quite some time now. I can definitly see both sides of the story. One thing that I always think about is that this guy is clearly putting up these solar panels to save energy however that good deed is cancelled out by the fact that he wants to cut down these old trees!

In the local news reports here, they said the guy installed the solar panels and then the trees grew bigger and bigger to the point where he wasnt able to get sunlight. I don't think anyone in their right mind would have installed solar panels knowing that there is no natural sunlight.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Redwoods grow very fast - it's possible the trees were a lot smaller when solar panel guy moved in and installed his panels, though I don't know the specifics of the case. They seem inappropriate trees to plant in a neighborhood where houses are close together.

[no name 1]

I'm from California, actually I work in Sunnyvale which is the same city where this dispute is taking place. I love trees and hate granola.

In the local news reports here, they said the guy installed the solar panels and then the trees grew bigger and bigger to the point where he wasnt able to get sunlight. I don't think anyone in their right mind would have installed solar panels knowing that there is no natural sunlight.

Redwoods grow very fast - it's possible the trees were a lot smaller when solar panel guy moved in and installed his panels, though I don't know the specifics of the case. They seem inappropriate trees to plant in a neighborhood where houses are close together.

esp redwoods!

[Jasman0717 8]

I thought redwoods were protected in California.....maybe it is idiots instead

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I think most are that are on public land. It sounds like the neighbor planted his own on his private property.

[PlatyPius 5]

I think most are that are on public land. It sounds like the neighbor planted his own on his private property.

Yeah, the guy planted the redwoods a few years before the guy next door installed his solar panels.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I don't have a picture of the guy's yard but planting a fast-growing tree that can get as tall as 350 feet in a densely populated place like Sunnyvale doesn't strike me as too sensible either