Counties are blocking wind and solar across the US

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 407 points –
Counties are blocking wind and solar across the US — maps show energy capacity in your area
usatoday.com

Counties are blocking wind and solar across the US::Local governments across the U.S. are blocking new clean energy plants. See the best locations for wind and solar power, and where it's being stopped.

89

You are viewing a single comment

The inability to install solar panels on my home is enshrined in my HOA and is extremely unlikely to be overturned by our members. We should be passing laws making these types of restrictions illegal

There's a story on Reddit about someone who snuck an extension cable onto the HOA president's property and had it running something like an air conditioner full blast nonstop for months. They later said something to the effect of "oh yes, prices are going up but my friend who lives in the other city has solar and he's fine". This apparently convinced the person to change the bylaws.

1 more...

Wait... Aren't you guys supposed to be the free-est nation on earth or something?

We're a country founded by slave owners who wrote things like "all men are created equal"

And they meant men too, not women.

But really they meant White Male Landowners with money.

HOAs were literally created to make sure that black people couldn't buy homes. These covenants put legal blocks on the deed for eternity to keep it from happening. It didn't take long for white people to buy a house and then turn around and sell it to a black family. The entire thing crashed. What we are left with are small Karens and Chads trying to control the people around them.

Minorities in general. Some of the first HOAs excluded Blacks, Jews, Asians, etc in literal writing. It took a SCOTUS case to overturn.

They also exist to make building a subdivision easier which is there primary purpose today.

You mistyped "allow municipalities to avoid their responsibilities and grant power to private shadow governments with storied histories of abuse and none of the hypothetical accountability that is guaranteed by the US Constitution".

They are free to die without healthcare

It was an Irishman that wrote "free to screw you before you screw me".

what- the HOA folks are worried they'd see your PV panels instead of a shingled roof for the .4 seconds they see it at all while they're parking in thier driveways?

HOA should be requiring solar instead of banning it.

I disagree. That’s a huge cost to force on people.

I don't live in an HOA but my home's value went up $150k over the last couple years for absolutely nothing. It would be cool if a tiny portion of that increase was at least due to something like solar panels being installed.

No one is forcing you to buy a home in an HOA that requires solar.

Could easily be in an HOA that adds the requirement though.

I do have sympathy for people that vote NO on large capital expense assessments because its expensive for them and then have to come up with the money anyways.

I love how you used the entire argument against HOAs to argue against HOAs, yet still got downvoted.

I appreciated the irony.

1 more...
1 more...
1 more...
1 more...
1 more...

Colorado House Bill 21-1229 is law here now, maybe your state can pass a bill like it too?

Where I’m from, laws were changed so communities like this can’t block lot modifications that improve a lot’s sustainability performance (e.g. rooftop solar, rainwater harvesting, etc.). Not that anyone here would block rooftop solar, it’s wildly popular.

I suspect that more states will follow WA and CA and start saying that counties and cities no longer can block things like denser housing, extra units on a lot, or solar.

Find an HOA with conservative leadership and you’ll find all sorts of bs. Worse when they weren’t like that when you bought, but have turned into a MAGA idiot and reject anything green on principle.

Yes. And some states (e.g. Washington) already have.

The governing documents may not prohibit the installation of a solar energy panel by an owner or resident on the owner's or resident's property [...]

Some states do have those laws already

2 more...