Vandalia declines to grant homeowner variance to solar panel rule

The five panels on the south-facing side are visible from the road, as Smith’s house is situated on a curving cul-de-sac in a position that leaves both the front and south-facing sides directly visible from the street.

After being notified he was in violation of a city ordinance that prohibits the installation of solar panels in a way that faces any street, Smith submitted a variance request seeking an exception to the rule.

Smith claims of the 19 panels he’s had installed, those on the south-facing roof would draw the most power from the sun, and moving them to the opposite side of the house would place them in a more shady area with less direct sunlight.

The city planner for Vandalia, Michael Hammes, has said previously that the rationale for prohibiting front-facing solar panels can be boiled down to two arguments, including that front-facing panels may appear unsightly, and that reflected light from road-facing panels may create a glare which could present a traffic hazard.

Vandalia City Council voted 6-1 to deny Smith’s request for a variance.

Mryia Williams of Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit organization which advocates for the interests of solar owners throughout the U.S., said there are several longstanding misconceptions surrounding the safety of solar panels.

“There are myths out there that say airplane pilots are going to be temporarily blinded by the shine off of roofs with solar panels, or that the panels are going to absorb all of the sunshine so the plants in your yard will die, or even that firefighters can’t treat houses with solar panels,” Williams said.

Williams said part of her job is to dispel these fallacies.

“We help people understand that’s not the case, that solar panels have special anti-glare coating and that the panels function by absorbing the sunshine, not reflecting the light back off,” she said. “Solar panels are not going to bother anybody by shine, and they will only absorb the sunshine that would normally hit your roof, so your plants are going to be just fine, too.”