Zoners OK residential solar panels

Feb 25 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Devon Lash The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

It's tough t o be a trailblazer.

Just ask Luis Cordero and his wife Christine.

It's been two years since the retired Navy veteran sought permission from South Whitehall to erect a small barn in his backyard which he hoped to eventually top with energy-creating solar panels.

The township Zoning Hearing Board rejected the barn in November. But on Wednesday, zoners approved his plans for a solar array, which would the first residential array of its kind in the township.

The decision is to be followed by an ordinance setting guidelines for residents who are interested in erecting alternative energy systems.

The zoners approved a 5-kilowatt solar panel system for the backyard of the Corderos' property at 4495 Parkland Drive. The stand-alone system will be about 36 feet long, 10 feet wide and 7 feet tall and is expected to cut about one-third of the couple's energy bill.

The township previously approved small solar panels on the roof of a house to heat water, but Cordero's proposal is different in size and scope, township zoning officer Keith Zehner said.

The township is crafting a policy to deal with requests to erect non-commercial alternative energy systems, said Gerald Harbison, assistant director of community development. The Corderos' request wasn't the sole reason for drafting an ordinance. It's more a sign of the times, he said.

Presented to the Planning Commission last week, the proposal offers guidelines for height, noise and property setbacks for wind, solar and geothermal energy systems. Residential users would not be permitted to sell energy back to the grid. They could only use it toward their own energy bills or as a credit toward future months.

The ordinance would prevent requests for systems like the Corderos' from being automatically sent to the zoners as long as the proposed system meets certain specifications.

Cordero said the zoning appeals process has cost him more than money and time than he had ever imagined.

"I'm very bitter," he said. "I'm only trying to beautify my property."

He paid a $250 fee initially to have his case heard and received another bill for $108 in December to pay the court reporter -- a cost the township splits with appellants.

He feared the delays would cost him a hefty federal credit that will pay for 30 percent of the $28,000 system, but the credit has been extended through 2011. He's also eligible for a 5 percent state credit toward installation of alternative energy.

But this won't be the end of his appeals. After the meeting, Cordero said he aims to get the zoners to reconsider his plans to build a pole barn to store classic cars. He hopes that moving its location to meet setback requirements and then putting the solar panels on its roof will lead to approval.