Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
from the form and finish of the house's roof.” 100 Regardless of the reason, in
this particular instance of conflict between solar energy and historic preser-
vation, the preservationists prevailed. Chandler and Wingate ultimately
opted not to install solar panels on their home.
Should historic preservation trump solar energy?
A plausible argument could be made that solar panels simply don't belong
on the roofs of historic buildings like the home where Chandler and
Wingate lived. Very few solar energy systems are even remotely historic
in nature or appearance. Indeed, sleek, shiny new solar arrays epitomize
modernity. When solar panels find their way into historic neighborhoods
or onto the top of vintage buildings, they almost inevitably look out of
place. But is that a good enough reason to strictly forbid owners of historic
properties from installing solar panels? If not, what policy strategies are
best equipped to encourage a fair and efficient balance between solar energy
and historic preservation?
Undoubtedly, some buildings do exist that are simply not well suited for
solar panel installations. 101 Few people would advocate covering Egypt's
iconic pyramids or the famous domes of India's Taj Mahal with solar
panels. Preserving our most culturally significant buildings in their original
condition and form ensures that they are available to educate and inspire
future generations. It would make little sense to blemish the world's most
valuable historic resources for just a few kilowatts of new solar generating
capacity.
One reason that historic preservation must sometimes take precedence
over solar energy development is that solar energy resources are not as
location-constrained as most historic sites. Solar radiation strikes the earth
with roughly the same intensity on every exposed inch of land within a
given community. The sunlight shining onto historic buildings or neighbor-
hoods generally has no greater energy-generating potential than the sunlight
shining onto ordinary warehouse rooftops or vacant lots elsewhere in the
same town. In contrast, historic properties tend to be most valuable at the
precise location where they have always been, and locating them elsewhere
is usually not a viable option. Because solar panels can serve their function
almost anywhere within a community but historic sites cannot, there is
seldom a compelling reason to allow solar energy development to materially
interfere with historic preservation. For this reason, laws in some jurisdic-
tions specifically allow local governments to restrict or forbid solar energy
projects within historic districts and place no express limitations on the
severity of such restrictions. 102
On the other hand, historic preservation need not always take precedence
over solar energy. It is often possible to install solar panels on historic
properties without causing any significant harm to their cultural value. In
fact, numerous culturally significant buildings around the world are already
 
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