Here Comes the Sun: Panel Considers Regulating Panels
Solar panels are not currently regulated by the Swarthmore Borough zoning code.
Should solar energy be included as part of the Swarthmore Zoning Code?
Planning Commission member Elizabeth Jenkins, who is also a member of the town’s Environmental Advisory Council, reported at the commission’s January 20 meeting that Swarthmore’s zoning code was recently reviewed to evaluate how “permissive and friendly” it is to solar energy. The EAC had requested the review from SolSmart, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy that helps municipalities encourage solar-energy use.
Swarthmore’s zoning code is currently silent on the question of solar energy.
Joe Coyle of Open Sky Energy
Jenkins reported that Joe Coyle of the Swarthmore-based solar energy company Open Sky finds the zoning code works well for solar as it is. “If we don’t have a problem, we don’t necessarily have to formalize anything,” she observed.
But, she added, SolSmart considers it a best practice to include language about solar energy in municipal zoning code. She suggested that having such a framework also could prevent future problems.
Commission chair Chris DeBruyn added that including solar energy in the code could instill confidence in homeowners who might otherwise be reluctant to invest in exploring solar projects. “If there’s any interest in either controlling solar or encouraging it,” he said, “we want to have some language in there.”
DeBruyn noted that prices of solar panels and equipment are coming down quickly. He predicts that many residents will soon find the cost of installation worth the investment. “We’re almost at a tipping point,” he said.
Among the questions the commission discussed were: Should panels be permitted on a main residence and on accessory buildings by right, or might approvals be required? Would ground-mounted panels require different approvals? On a residential lot, where are panels acceptable? Should screening be required for electrical storage systems? Should limitations be placed on system height? Should requirements differ for residential, commercial, and institutional zones?
Jenkins, commission member Don Jones, and Environmental Advisory Council member Claudia Cueto will consider these questions and make recommendations to the commission at its February 17 meeting. Once the commission finalizes its proposals, it will forward them to Swarthmore’s borough council for possible implementation.
