Dive Brief:
- Washington, D.C., City Councilman David Grosso (I-At Large) has proposed a bill that establishes a "solar access right" and protects the value of a homeowner's solar panels in the event a neighbor's addition to their own home renders panels unable to generate power.
- Under the bill, a property owner with solar would be able to file a solar easement with the Recorder of Deeds detailing the obstructions to sunlight. Developers would be required to pay the owner for the value of the sunlight obstructed each day, and the bill would also eliminate all covenants that prohibit solar on certain properties.
- The measure, reported on by the Washington Business Journal, is aimed at so-called pop-ups, or vertical additions to row homes in the District, which have been exploding in number in recent years.
Dive Insight:
It seems that every week a new popup apartment is erected somewhere in the nation's capital, and that creates a problem for solar owners: What if the new development next door blocks your source of electricity and ruins your solar panel investment?
But Councilmember David Grosso, better known for his attempts to legalize marijuana, is on the case, proposing a bill in the District of Columbia Council that establish an a "solar access right," eliminate rules that prohibit solar on certain properties, and require compensation if a new development blocks a property owner's panels.
Washington City Paper has good coverage of the controversial pop-up trend, which has taken off as the District's real estate market has strengthened in recent years. The odd-looking additions tower vertically over their neighbors, potentially shading solar panels which may have been installed next door.