Logan rejects request to install large solar array

Zoning Board says resident’s plan exceeds permitted size

The Logan Township Zoning Hearing Board Thursday denied a resident's request to install a ground-based solar array, because it was almost twice the maximum size permitted by ordinance.

But it might behoove the township supervisors to consider extending that maximum, so that solar panels permitted in the township can handle the ever-increasing electricity loads on residential properties, according to Zoning Board Chairman John Donley -- echoing the contractor who would have installed the array for Charles McCoy, who lives a couple of blocks above the former Keith Athletic Field.

The current limit of 600 square feet or half the footprint of the owner's house -- whichever is greater -- doesn't allow ground-based solar fields big enough to provide energy independence for modern homeowners, given the increased use of electricity for home heat, hot water and even cars and trucks, said contractor Richard Flarend of Groundhog Solar.

Moreover, it makes no sense for size restrictions on arrays, especially in rural areas of the township, given the lack of those kinds of restrictions on residential accessory structures like garages and pools, Flarend said.

Flarend proposed to construct an 1,100-square-foot array for McCoy, in two rows, on a hill in McCoy's backyard.

It would be 40 feet by 30 feet -- about as extensive as a two-car garage, Flarend said.

Neighbor Sarah Seymore wasn't enthusiastic about seeing such an array from her backyard, she said.

But she believes that people generally should be able to do what they want with their properties, she said.

She would plant some evergreens to block the view if the board approved the request, she said.

"If I'm going to look at 600 (square feet), I can look at 1,200," Seymore said.

The board's decision was "a tough one," Donley said.

It was tough because, while the increase in electricity demands may argue for allowing bigger arrays, the board can only grant variances on the narrow ground of a "hardship" connected with the property, he said.

"Our job is not to understand why the ordinance is what it is," Donley said. "We're here to say, 'Does the issue at hand qualify?'"

Board members Stephen McCullough and Mark Twardon agreed.

"I understand why (McCoy) would be asking," McCullough said. "But we are bound here to go by the law."

The issue of the size of ground-based solar arrays isn't going to disappear, Donley said.

The current ordinance is only 12 years old, but "times are different," he said.

There are no restrictions on the size of roof-mounted solar arrays, but the characteristics of many roofs can make installing one big enough impossible, Flarend said.

Most homes use about 14,000 kilowatts a year, Flarend said after the meeting.

McCoy's uses about 25,000 to 30,000 because of his electric heat and hot water, Flarend said.

Homes with electric heat and hot water and an electric vehicle would use 30,000 or more kilowatt hours, he said.

To cover that with solar would require an array of about 15,000 square feet, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.