Concern about the impact of trees on solar panels continues in Worcester
WORCESTER ― For the second time, a city committee has declined to ask City Hall to develop a policy to balance the planting of trees on public streets with the needs of homes and businesses with rooftop solar panels.
Monday night, the Green Worcester Advisory Committee declined to move ahead with asking the city to develop a formal policy. Committee member Ted Conna made the request, the second time he had done it.
Back in October, Conna presented the committee with a draft policy to consider for trees and solar panels because some property owners are concerned that trees are blocking their panels.
What the committee decided Monday was to have John Odell, the city’s chief sustainability officer, bring the matter before various city departments and the city’s Urban Forestry Tree Commission. If discussions occur at those levels, then Odell would report back to the Green Worcester Advisory Committee with updates.
“I’m certainly going to stay on top of this; advocate for the process,” said Conna after Monday’s meeting. “I also have to kind of trust the process and see what happens.”
Is issue important?
Odell said it’s difficult to evaluate the significance of the issue because it's not known how may property owners with rooftop solar are impacted by city-owned trees.
At a minimum, Odell said, the city will take into account nearby rooftop solar properties when new street trees are planted.
“It’s not a super-high-priority project,” said Odell. “I don’t discount Ted (Conna), it may have impact on some folks. But whether it rises to the top, a proposal now is to be determined. There are a lot of other things we need to do.”
The committee’s reluctance to request a formal policy was linked to its advisory role.
“I’m reticent to take anything beyond thinking about it,” said committee Chairwoman Mary Knittle during Monday’s meeting, adding that she wanted to see if a similar policy existed in other places before asking the city to develop its own.
“There’s not enough information,” she said.
When Conna presented his draft proposal in October, he asked if he could make a motion to put the committee on record that it feels the city needs to consider a policy on how to handle street-tree, rooftop-solar issues when they arise. At that time, the committee said it needed more time to digest the draft.
The draft included several points: If a city tree needs to be removed or pruned to install rooftop solar, the city will have to approve the work and the property owner will pay the costs. In the case of a tree that grows and sends shade on an existing rooftop solar system, the city could prune the tree and assume the costs.
“Some people who have looked at the draft see it as a big threat to trees. I also want to protect trees,” Conna told the Telegram & Gazette last month.
No mention of rooftop solar
An existing Worcester ordinance to protect public trees on streets does not mention rooftop solar. It generally says anyone requesting the cutting, trimming or removal of a public shade tree must get approval of the tree warden and pay for the cost of work and tree replacement.
A total of 2,778 homes and businesses in Worcester have rooftop solar systems, according to the city. There are 23,137 public street trees in Worcester, based on a count completed in June.
The Green Worcester Advisory Committee consists of seven city residents appointed by the city manager. Its role is to see that Worcester moves toward the goals of the Green Worcester Plan. Goals include 100% renewable energy for municipal facilities by 2030; 100% renewable electricity citywide by 2035; and 100% renewable energy in all sectors including heating and transportation by 2045.
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Concern about the impact of trees on solar panels in Worcester
