A battle over solar
Calif. homeowners divided over solar panels
LOS ANGELES – Ready to chuck his electric bills, Camarillo, Calif., resident Marc Weinberg last year asked his homeowners association for permission to put solar panels on his roof.
When the Spanish Hills Homeowners Association said no, Weinberg sued the group. Under the state’s Solar Rights Act, he argued, a homeowners association cannot unreasonably block solar installations.
Weinberg won, and the homeowners association was ordered to not only permit the solar panels but also to cover the tens of thousands of dollars that Weinberg spent on legal fees. Since last fall, when he installed a double row of matte black panels, three other homes in the hilltop neighborhood of luxury estates have added panels.
Homeowners’ main defense is the Solar Rights Act, adopted by California in 1978 to protect consumers’ right to install solar energy technology. The law makes it difficult for homeowner groups to reject solar energy equipment unless it creates a safety hazard or a modification can be made without great cost.
Now solar advocates are pushing for a federal version of the California law. Energy legislation that moved through the US House of Representatives earlier this year included a provision that would make it illegal for HOA rules, leases or private contracts to prohibit the installation of solar systems.</em>
