Renewable energy vs. cultural preservation - Solar, Wind and Land: Conflicts in Renewable Energy Development - page 137

topped with solar PV systems. In Rome, solar panels grace the roof of a
revered Vatican auditorium. 103 The historic Bradford Cathedral in West
Yorkshire, England has its own solar array. 104 Rooftop solar panels supply
clean electric power to San Francisco's notorious Alcatraz Island. 105 And
President Barack Obama had solar panels reinstalled onto the roof of the
White House. 106
If solar panels can adorn the roof the White House—one of the most
historic buildings in the world—why are they prohibited on a relatively
unfamiliar home just five miles away in Cleveland Park? The answer lies
in differences between the types of buildings involved and in the neighbor-
hoods in which they are situated. The White House is situated on land that
is largely surrounded by government-owned parcels. The building itself also
has a rooftop that is barely visible from the street. Consequently, installing
a solar array on the White House roof creates no significant impact on the
building's appearance or on surrounding property values. In contrast, the
Chandler and Wingate home described above had a steep, sloping roof with
no parapets or other features to help hide a solar energy system. The home
was also nestled in a residential neighborhood among privately owned
homes whose relatively high property values were based in part on the
area's historic character. In this very different context, solar panels that were
visible from the street could more easily have jeopardized the historic look
and feel of the building involved. 107 As illustrated through this comparison,
laws must be tailored to account for the various factors at play in clashes
between solar energy development and historic preservation, and to incen-
tivize parties to fairly and efficiently mitigate these conflicts.
The benefits of careful planning
Before installing a new solar array, owners of sites that might have cultural
or historic significance would be wise to determine whether their properties
have already been designated as historic resources under applicable law.
Laws in many countries allow citizens to nominate specific properties or
neighborhoods for designation as protected historic sites. For example, in
the United States, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 created
a National Register of Historic Places for this purpose. 108 Similar state/
provincial and local historic preservation laws also exist in many jurisdic-
tions. 109 A parcel registered as historic under any of these laws could be
subject to special requirements that greatly impact the design of a potential
solar energy installation or whether the installation is permissible at all. 110
As in the Cleveland Park case described earlier, local historic preservation
officials often have the final say regarding proposed solar energy projects
at historic sites.
Even on designated historic buildings, solar energy installations are often
feasible through careful planning and design. In addition to the typical list
of strategies for minimizing the aesthetic impacts of solar panel installations,