Lauren Doherty of Allen fought to lift the restriction on street-facing solar panels. Her home in Allen currently has panels on the side and back. Courtesy of the DFW Solar Tour. 

Aug. 29, 2016

In Allen, Texas, you can have solar panels on your home as long as you’re discreet about it.

Last Tuesday, the Allen City Council unanimously voted to keep its restriction prohibiting solar panels on the front of homes. 

City council members cited concerns about aesthetics and fear that trees would be cut to make way for solar panels as reasons for prohibiting street-facing solar. 

The solar ordinance was originally put in place in 2012. Last week, it was amended to allow ground mounted systems and panels on auxiliary structures in screened back yards. Despite organized lobbying by solar advocates, City Councilman Kurt Kizer was among those who were not convinced that the citizens of Allen were ready for solar out in the open.

“You would think from some of the discussion that we’re outlawing solar panels. That’s not the case. The only restriction is we don’t want it on street-facing rooftops. Until I see something that tells me that the citizens are enthusiastically wanting to expand this, I think this restriction is acceptable...You can move to another house if it’s that important to you,” said Kizer.

Rev. Gordon Illausky, senior pastor at Christ the Servant Lutheran, was one of a few at the hearing in favor of the ordinance. He warned that curb appeal would be “degraded” and home values would be decreased by front-facing solar installations, despite studies that show home values increased with the technology.

There were also questions about whether solar was a fire hazard or if the industry was full of crooks scamming people.

Allen, a Collin County city of 95,000 with a median household income of $91,000, is one of a few North Texas communities that restrict panels on street-facing roofs. Rowlett and Highland Park impose similar regulations, the Dallas Morning News reported. 

Solar advocates say the law infringes on their ability to get maximum benefit of the panels if their home faces south.

“For best overall annual production, the panels should be on the south side,” said Larry Howe, the founder of Plano Solar Advocates and board member for the Texas Solar Energy Society, who spoke at the hearing. “They’ll have 10 to 30 percent less production if they’re installed any other way.”

Before the vote, solar advocates lobbied against the restriction, outnumbering those for it 9-4. 

Lauren Doherty, a stay-at-home mom had collected more than 200 signatures from people wanting to lift the restrictions. Her house faces west and two years ago she and her husband added solar panels on the back and side of their home. Unaware of the street-facing restriction at the time, they opted not to put panels on the front for fear of what neighbors would say. But since seeing the cost savings, Doherty now wishes they could add panels to the front to increase their energy production.

“We’ve seen such good returns,” she said. “A 30 percent savings.”

Heidi Reese, an Allen High School environmental science teacher, told the Allen City Council, her students didn’t see solar as ugly. 

“When they see a house with solar panels they think two things: They think the people who live in the house are really rich and they’re technologically advanced. Those are smart people. They’re cool.” 

She said it’s time for Allen to embrace a changing world and face facts about energy production. 

“People flip on a switch and they don’t think about where that electricity came from. Coal mining, fracking – those things are not pretty and there’s a lot of problems associated with them.”

Dan Lepinski, a North Richland Hills-based solar engineer with more than 40 years experience and a state’s expert on solar energy, flew in from a Houston business trip to speak out against the restriction at the hearing. He offered to sit down with city council members one on one pro bono and school them on solar.

Howe agreed that more education is needed to quell residents sometimes irrational fears about the industry. He has since contacted Keep Allen Beautiful to offer to provide a Solar 101 class for free. 

“More people need to learn what solar is and what it isn’t,” he said.

He’s also offering assistance to any Allen homeowners wishing to navigate the Board of Adjustment process if they are unfavorably impacted by the city's street facing solar panel restriction. [He can be contacted at planosolar@gmail.com.]

Meanwhile, Mayor Steve Terrell along with some city council members conceded they’d be willing to reconsider the issue in a few years if demand for solar panels increased and/or the industry made some aesthetic improvements.

“I do think [solar’s] the future...this ordinance will probably have to come back to us sooner or later," said Terrell. "I think the demand will become greater and greater.”

RELATED ARTICLES

Solar advocates say North Richland Hills rule could put a damper on sun-powered technology - Nov. 11, 2014 

Solar advocates challenge North Richland Hills solar ordinance - Jan 23, 2015

North Richland Hills solar ordinance saga ends on a bright note despite gloomy forecast -  May 25, 2015

Flower Mound resident documents solar growth spurt in North Texas - May 10, 2016

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