Backyard Trees vs. Solar Power

                                    

As I’ve said many times before, every fuel source to produce electricity has its pluses and minuses. But in all my years in this energy policy industry, the story I read this morning is a first even in my book!

“SUNNYVALE – In an environmental dispute seemingly scripted for eco-friendly California, a man asked prosecutors to file charges against his neighbors because their towering redwoods blocked sunlight to his backyard solar panels.

But the couple next door insisted they should not have to chop down the trees to accommodate Mark Vargas' energy demands because they planted the redwoods before he installed the solar panels in 2001.”

This is in no way a “knock” on solar power — we need every fuel source available to us to produce enough affordable energy for all Americans. However, it just is another example that sometimes even the most genuine of intentions can be fraught with unexpected consequences in the complicated realm of energy solutions.