Paid in the shade

Posted by David Roberts at 2:47 PM on 07 Apr 2008

Read more about: solar voltaic power | energy | California | funnies | energy at home

You've got to give credit to Felicity Barringer for this sentence:

If he succeeds, the state that legalized medical marijuana may soon do the same for shade.

For story: Paid in the shade
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I've given this a little thought

How do you protect people who invest in solar from neighbor's trees or a skyscraper four blocks away? Urban rooftop solar is expensive enough. It is highly probable in a city like Seattle that you will eventually lose your sun to some project nearby.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 4:20 PM on 07 Apr 2008

BioD

It's really quite straightforward to write ordinance to protect solar access from both skyscrapers and trees, and many communities below state level have already done so. Performance standards are to be preferred to simplistic zoning and height limits. If Seattle has no such protections it really should be a matter for action, the sooner the better.

Protection from shading by new buildings is relatively easy to enforce through the development approval process. Trees are a little tougher, as this case shows.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

by spaceshaper at 5:02 AM on 08 Apr 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

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