Solar trumps shade in California prosecution of tree owners

[debs]

The Santa Clara County district attorney pressed criminal charges against Richard Treanor for the shade his redwoods cast on the solar panels that Mark Vargas uses for 100 percent of his home’s power.

Solar energy trumps shade in California prosecution of tree owner | csmonitor.com

[Andrea]

Hmm, I wonder which came first, the tree or the solar panels?

[spadlet]

Mr. Vargas said he planned to install solar panels on the trellis behind his house – meaning he needed access to sunlight. But the row of eight 10- to 25-foot redwoods along that edge of the couple's backyard would have to go – or be shortened, or perhaps replaced with smaller trees.

The redwoods were planted between 1997 and 1999. The solar panels were installed in 2001 by Vargas, who moved here in 1993.

Yey, let's save the planet by building solar panels and chopping down all of the trees

It's an interesting article, worth reading, which family do you sympathise with the most?

[forfismum]

Now you can see why i refer to Californians as weird . If the panels had been there first then planting trees would be wrong,but to cut down trees that had been there first? The owner should have claimed that it was his personal rain forest and then the activists would have chained themselves to the trees and saved them.It really is the same mentality that allows windmills to be built where in the past the very pylons that carry the power were the cause of conflict.Double standards.

[sparky]

That is barmy.

[LMagic007]

Certainly raises some interesting questions. I think this is more likely to be an issue decided on legal technicality, rather than some argument of environmental morality. I imagine the judgement has to be applied in accordance with precedent case law, if it can't be determined by council regulation. Of course it may be a first of its kind, thus creating a new precedence in law. Interesting to follow though.