The article titled, “Home grown green energy plan proposed” [News, March 4], states that Dr. Robinet believes Oak Park should avoid the “green” energy providers altogether and create a fund to purchase solar panels that would be installed throughout the village.
Does this mean the solar panels would be installed on the rooftops of individual homes or on the tops of commercial buildings? Apparently so, as there is not much open land in Oak Park.
Here are my concerns:
Financial
The optional “In Village Solar” fee would pay for what exactly?
Ecological
What is the environmental impact of manufacturing solar panels?
Apparently they are usable for about 25 years. Are there companies that will recycle them?
Practical
How well will they work and how will they be maintained?
Oak Park has a lot of trees and buildings that throw shadows on other buildings. Are solar panels effective in our environment?
We have a lot of snow, ice, and air pollution (especially where I live, which is just off the Eisenhower Expressway). Can we buy solar panels that are self-cleaning? Or does someone have to go up on the roof and clean them?
Breakage and Vandalism
Will tree branches in a high wind break them?
How many will be broken by rock throwing?
Safety
Solar panel installations have been known to create fires. Are our local firefighters trained to handle these situations? If a fire occurs in a building, will the firefighters put a hole in the roof which I understand they do sometimes to fight a fire?
Will my homeowner’s insurance rate increase because of a safety problem?
If I have to get a new roof on my house, what would the cost of taking the solar panels down and reinstalling them be?
Joanne Selden
Oak Park