By BERNADETTE SUKLEY

Special to The Press

Is solar energy coming to a roof near you?

It was ironic that a well-attended meeting about solar power would be held in the Kempton Fire Company social hall on a dark and stormy night.

Amidst the rumbles of thunder, three presenters spoke about the pros and cons of solar energy.

The presenters were asked to speak by Albany Township supervisors to see what impact solar energy would have on the community.

Tom Kerr, chair of the township’s Environmental Advisory Committee, said the meeting was exploratory and educational in nature.

“We wanted to give residents an opportunity to ask questions,” Kerr said.

Jim Umbenhaur, a 15-year solar industry veteran, is enthusiastic about solar becoming more widely used in Pennsylvania.

“I’ve been all over the country, and came back to Pennsylvania,” Umbenhaur said. “And, as alternative energy becomes incentivized, you’ll see panels becoming more and more common.”

Umbenhaur, a Penn State graduate and electrician by training, owns Red Tail Solar, a solar installer and consultant in Orwigsburg.

He showed the audience the three levels of solar power: residential (roof panels), small commercial (several acres of ground-installed panels) and large scale installations (warehouse size).

Farm fields to solar field

Locally, many family farms are dwindling. There is no one to pass the farm along to.

“It’s not uncommon to hear farmers say, ‘I’m retiring but my kids don’t want the farm, and the grandkids don’t want to farm. I don’t want to sell the farm to a developer who is just going to put in a big warehouse,’” said Bob Barkanic, managing director of The Barkanic Group, a firm specializing in energy consulting.

Farmers are able to lease the land to utility companies and continue to keep the land agricultural in certain aspects.

Speaker Joseph Body, Albany Township engineer, said farmers can pasture animals like sheep which are small enough to graze underneath solar panels and big enough, in a flock to cover a large area.

“Goats wouldn’t work as they like to climb on top of the panels and crack them,” he said.

“Cows wouldn’t work either because they are too big and like to rub up against things.”

Umbenhaur added many solar panel fields contain pollinators, flowering plants that attract bees.

“If the panels are installed high enough off the ground, the area underneath can receive sunlight as the panels shift and move throughout the day,” Umbenhaur explained.

Solar power can also be a windfall for those with land that may be deemed unfit for residential or agricultural purposes, Barkanic said.

Federal and state governments are investing billions of dollars into alternative energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $150 billion in Solar Future Technology, a project that pushes for renewal energy sources.

The goal is for utility companies to provide 10 percent of power as renewal energy sources (solar, wind, hydropower) by 2030.

There are more than 350 solar projects proposed for the commonwealth pending before the region’s electric grid operator.

Buyer Beware

Umbenhaur cautioned Albany Township residents when they seek to sell their property with solar panels, they’ll need to get a lawyer involved.

“You need to make sure you’re clear about any agreements that were signed when the panels were installed or whether you were named as a generator,” he said.

Since some solar installations can be an investment because utility companies can agree to lease your solar panel property.

But, Umbenhaur said, “Utility companies may not allow you to be released from the lease.”

In addition, property taxes increase and you may end up paying for decommissioning the panels if the buyer is not interested in solar energy.

Another of the discussed cons of solar panels, especially pertinent to rural areas, is that large solar panel systems need to be near electrical lines to get on the grid.

Communities Look to Solar Options

Some communities use large swaths of land for solar panels to power an entire area, community or township.

A larger-scale solar farm maybe ideal for a situation with many units, such as apartment buildings.

Barkanis said his focus is on residential development.

In Pennsylvania, only a small percentage of municipalities have addressed the solar panel issues.

For that reason, development may be stagnating.

“It’s best to make sure solar panel ordinances are clear, many developers look at regulations and ordinances,” Barkanic said. “They’ll shy away from ambiguous variances or no roof top ordinance locations.

“They don’t want to get themselves in trouble. Good policies lead to good development.”