Street trees and solar panels: Effort in Worcester to reach a balance

WORCESTER — Judy Mitchell has owned her home on Englewood Avenue for over 40 years.

Eight years ago, she added solar panels to the front of her roof. Now she has a problem.

A tree planted by the city on the public right of way is in front of her house, and Mitchell said it casts a shadow in the afternoon over half of the panels, virtually wiping out their effectiveness to supply the electricity that powers her home.

Mitchell called the city a few weeks ago to ask if it could prune the tree, but hasn't heard back.

“If the city came out and would prune all the time, at least I would have some of my solar,” said Mitchell.

This example of a street tree blocking a private rooftop solar system is one that could become much more common in Worcester — and nationwide — in the years ahead, as the city moves from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy to combat climate change.

That movement is spelled out in the Green Worcester Plan, approved last year by the City Council. The plan is meant to be a roadmap to make Worcester one of the most sustainable and climate-resilient midsized U.S. cities by 2050, and it includes many strategies, including increasing solar systems and street trees.

The result could be many replications of Mitchell’s predicament, where homes and businesses that invested in solar systems can’t get what they paid for because of street trees that cast shade.

Mitchell shared her concern with Ted Conna, who sits on the Green Worcester Advisory Committee. Its members are appointed by the city manager to essentially serve as a watchdog to make sure the city is meeting the goals in the Green Worcester Plan.

Get ahead of the curve

As Conna sees it, the city needs to get ahead of the curve and develop a policy to balance the needs of planting street trees with protecting investments that homes and businesses make in rooftop solar.

Last month, Conna gave the Greater Worcester Advisory Committee his draft proposal during a public meeting, and 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.

The committee said it needed more time to digest the draft.

John Odell, the city’s chief sustainability officer, told the committee he would share the draft with his staff and report back.

One detail in Conna’s draft: 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.

Conna acknowledged his draft is a starting point for discussions, that there's a lot work to do to iron out the details to create a formal, comprehensive policy.

That work could come with challenges.

“Some people who have looked at the draft see it as a big threat to trees. I also want to protect trees,” said Conna, who ticked off their numerous environmental and aesthetic benefits.

'Tree hugger'

Calling himself a “tree hugger,” Conna stressed that he’s not trying to pit tree lovers against owners of rooftop solar.

“This (draft policy) is not intended as a threat. I think we need to get ahead of this to minimize conflicts.”

Standing outside Mitchell’s home, Conna pointed to two nearby homes that have rooftop solar panels. Two street trees are directly in front of one of the homes, presenting an apparent shade threat.

“A single street has three homes with rooftop solar and street trees. It’s already an issue. I don’t know how people can say it’s not a common problem,” said Conna, who has lived in Worcester for 39 years and has rooftop solar panels on his home that experience minimal shading from a public street tree.

"I'm inclined to live with (that tree)," he said.

Discussion needed

Reaction to Conna’s draft proposal appears to be universal — more discussion is needed.

That message was given not only by Odell, but also Robert Antonelli, assistant commissioner of the Department of Public Works and Parks and the city's tree warden.

"We want to discuss this further with John Odell and the sustainability staff. Think through it a little bit," said Antonelli.

The city's Urban Forestry Master Plan could potentially have a connection to this issue. Antonelli explained a series of community meetings recently wrapped up to get public input on the plan, and draft recommendations could be put forward in January. A public hearing is expected on those recommendations.

Meanwhile, the city's new Urban Forestry Tree Commission has not held its first public meeting since members were appointed by the city manager and the city council confirmed the appointments in July. Antonelli cited scheduling conflicts to explain why there hasn't been a public meeting, and said city staff is trying to find a date in the next few weeks to hold one.

Alexander J. Elton is one of the four Worcester residents whose appointment was confirmed to serve on the Urban Forestry Tree Commission, and expects Conna's draft proposal will be a topic of conversation when the commission holds its first open meeting.

“As soon as the committee [meets] for the first time, it should start discussing (Conna's) proposal, that is the bottom line," said Elton, who works as the city forester in Providence and director of that city’s Forestry Division.

“Street trees don’t belong to an individual that lives in front of them," continued Elton. "They belong to the community, the neighborhood. It’s not up a single person to make decisions to collect benefits from solar power.

“There’s a lot we can discuss on this (proposal).”

The numbers

Any impact of public street trees on rooftop solar requires a close look at the numbers.

A total of 2,778 homes and businesses in Worcester have a rooftop solar system, according to a city spokesman.

The number supplied by the state Department of Energy Resources is 2,495 solar projects in Worcester that generate roughly 36.6 megawatts of power. Those projects participate in the department's various solar programs, including the Solar Carve-Out I and II Programs, Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target Program, and the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard.

Whether it’s 2,778 or 2,495, Conna noted that rooftop solar numbers will likely rise significantly in the future as more homes and businesses catch the wave of renewable energy.

What that total number ends up being is unknown, but it could be quite large given Worcester’s supply of more than 40,000 residential properties and upward of 2,000 commercial/industrial properties, based on city assessor records.

There are 23,137 public street trees in Worcester, based on a count completed in June. Antonelli noted the number changes as the city removes and plants trees. The expectation is that Worcester will plant a total of 200 to 300 trees every spring, including on public rights of way and in public parks.

Legal consideration

What are the legal rights of municipalities to plant street trees, and what are the rights of homeowners and businesses to protect their investments in rooftop solar?

The city did not respond to a request to interview City Solicitor Michael Traynor to pose those questions. A similar request did not receive a response from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

An existing Worcester ordinance to protect public trees 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 the work and tree replacement.

Financial hit

Mitchell’s panels supply all the electricity she needs, so she doesn’t get a monthly electricity bill from a public utility. She signed a 10-year lease with the solar company that installed the panels on her roof, and she pays a fixed price for power. After 10 years, she owns the panels.

But since the public street tree outside her front door started casting half of her rooftop panels in shade during many afternoons, Mitchell's monthly bill climbed from roughly $58 to $100.

“Before I was scot-free on (electricity bills). Now, they’re going up higher and higher,” said Mitchell.

'Pretty significant impact'

That is how John Pitcavage, part owner of Modern Energy, a renewable energy company based in Worcester, described the impact of shade on rooftop solar.

Pitcavage, who has 14 years of experience in the solar industry, described a scenario of a residential rooftop solar project that faces south, with a large tree directly in front. In this scenario, shading is a problem from September through April, when electricity from the panels could be reduced by 10% to 30%.

In June through August, shading continues to be an issue in early morning and later evening hours, said Pitcavage. Shading impact is determined by a sun's position in the sky, which varies by season.

Pitcavage went deeper with his explanation of how shading impacts solar panels. The vast majority of each panel in an average residential rooftop solar system is divided into three parallel sections. If a portion of one of the sections is in shade, then power production from the panel could by reduced by one-third. Also, if a portion of each of the three sections is in shade simultaneously, then it's possible to reduce the panel's production entirely.

Commercial rooftop solar panels generally experience similar impacts in shade, said Pitcavage.

What is the answer?

What Conna wants is a city policy that is an intelligent balance of solar energy rooftop production and public street trees. That could be as simple as the city carefully planting trees that only grow to heights that will not interfere with rooftop solar panels.

"If you plant trees in the right places and prune them, you can come out ahead and still have solar potential," said Conna.

Mitchell just wants the tree in front of her house trimmed, so her electricity bills will drop.

"If they want to keep the trees, at least come down and prune them, so it's not interfering with what we're paying for," she said.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Looking ahead: potential solar panel-street tree problem in Worcester