A story in the March 19 issue of the Transcript-Bulletin reported on the plight of a Tooele man who spent some $32,000 to fit his home with solar panels in an effort to conserve electricity, “Solar panel pioneer upset at Tooele City.” Dennis Tracey is now facing the potential loss of that money because the Tooele City Planning Commission has approved the construction of an 85-unit apartment complex behind his house that could dramatically cut down on the amount of sunlight (and hence power) that hits his backyard during the day.

In all fairness to the city, there is no legal reason for them to deny the construction permit for this apartment complex. Mr. Tracey has even acknowledged that it is probably too late for anything to be done to rectify his situation, as the laws just don’t exist at this time. However, Tooele City is in a unique position right now to make a statement about green power. The city has experienced dramatic growth over the past decade, but is not yet so big that ordinance changes that encourage the use of green energy will create economic hardship to builders, homeowners and businesses. The time is right for Tooele to be looking into ordinances that will protect future homeowners and businesses that choose to “go green.”

Tooele County is continually buffeted by strong winds, as anyone who has lost siding and roof shingles can attest. Harvesting the power of these winds could help generate additional electricity for the city and the county. Solar power is abundant and renewable, and should be encouraged and protected. These are seemingly little things, but little things add up to big things.

Can any of this help Mr. Tracey? Probably not, and that is unfortunate. The city and the planning commission have rules of law that must be followed, and the laws don’t yet exist that will protect the sunlight path to Mr. Tracey’s solar panels. I do, however, have a few suggestions to make. First, Mayor Dunlavy and the City Council need to take a serious look at implementing regulations that will protect other homeowners from building obstructions that would adversely impact solar power. I’m not a legal expert, but this can’t be the first time this issue has been addressed in the United States. We need to find out how other communities are addressing it and act quickly and responsibly. Second, I would suggest that the developer of this complex find some way to compensate Mr. Tracey for his potential loss. It may be as simple as moving his panels from the awning to his roof in order to capture the sunlight. If that is the case, in the interest of good public relations and just doing the right thing, this is something the developer should do for Mr. Tracey.

Tooele City and Tooele County are in a position to become a truly green community. With the number of federal grants that are now available for renewable energy and infrastructure development, we can make a tremendous impact upon our city, our county, and upon the nation as a whole. Tooele City could be the “shining star” the city Web site advertises, showing other cities across America the way to balance growth, development and environmental consciousness.

 

Bob Henline is a Tooele resident and political activist. He can be reached at bob@nonpart.org.