Solar energy a possibility in Southlake

By Chrisitina Rowland, Staff writer, SCNTX.com

The city of Southlake currently has no ordinance on the books concerning solar energy systems. They are prohibited in Southlake.

That could soon be changing, however. There was a citywide SPIN meeting Monday night to inform the public about a proposed ordinance that will go before planning and zoning April 9.

Daniel Cortez, a member of the city planning department, gave Monday’s presentation and answered questions for citizens.

He said the interest in solar energy came about last summer when some residents inquired with the city about it. They decided not to move forward, but it made the city begin to weigh such items for the future.

Although there is currently no one asking the city about permits for solar energy systems, the city is trying to be proactive and put an ordinance in place.

The new ordinance would address both solar PV systems and solar thermal systems. The solar PV systems generate solar energy for a home, while a thermal system heats home water.

According to the PowerPoint presentation, a solar thermal system in Texas can generate up to 90 percent of annual water heating needs.

The initial cost of either system can be expensive, but the federal government does offer some assistance for those wanting to switch to solar energy. The government will cover 30 percent of the cost of the system. In Texas, property taxes will not be raised if the system increases your property value. In addition, Oncor offers customer rebates of up to $2.46 per installed watt of system size for those who want to use solar power.

There are also similar incentive programs for commercial businesses wanting to be greener.

For those residents wanting to use solar energy, they would have to apply for a specific use permit and meet certain requirements.

For residential systems mounted on the ground, they can not exceed a height of 14 feet and must be 10 feet from any property line or building. For roof mounted systems, the ordinance notes it cannot extend beyond the thickness of the panel itself and an addition of up to six inches from the roof.

For commercial use, the units must all be mounted on the roof and must “not extend beyond the lowest point of the parapet wall and shall be installed at the same angle as the roof.”

For both residential and commercial use, the ordinance would require that the system is not to impact any neighboring properties or public right-of-way from nuisance glare. The ordinance also states the solar energy system cannot be installed on a lot until a building permit has been issued or the building is built.

Some residents at the meeting had a problem with this, noting that if they own a lot adjacent to their home with no building on it they could not use that lot to house a solar energy farm.

Public input was gathered at the meeting and will be presented to both planning and zoning and city council as the ordinance moves forward. No changes will come out of Monday’s meeting and it will be presented in the same form to planning and zoning as it was to the public on Monday night.