The future looks brighter for solar power in East Williston.
The village Board of Trustees approved a law Oct. 19 setting guidelines for installing solar panels, which channel energy from sunlight into electric power, ending a moratorium in the village.
The law balances residents’ desires for solar panels with the village’s concerns about their safety and appearance, Village of East Williston Mayor David Tanner said.
“Zoning code is a constant process of finding a middle ground between maintaining the character and charm of our village and change and growth pressures that East Williston, along with many other communities on Long Island, are facing,” Tanner said.
The new policy says all solar panel systems have to be “aesthetically appropriate” for their locations, and must be mounted as closely as possible to a building’s roof.
A licensed architect or engineer must approve plans for all solar projects before they’re submitted to village Building Inspector Robert Campagna, and the panels have to be installed by a licensed solar professional.
Once the panels are installed, an electrical inspector will make sure all electrical connections are safe before the village will approve a project’s completion.
The board issued the moratorium, which could have lasted up to six months, in July because several residents wanted to install the panels but the village code lacked standards for them, Tanner said.
Trustees said then that it was prudent for the village to proactively develop a coherent policy, as Campagna recommended in a letter to the board.
Trustee James Iannone also raised concerns about the panels exacerbating house fires and posing additional dangers to firefighters.
“You certainly aren’t in the position to say no to solar panels, but that being said, we were concerned about the potential safety as well as keeping with the character of the community,” Tanner said.
Campagna and Village Attorney Jeffrey Blinkhoff took from other villages’ solar regulations to develop their draft policy, which the trustees tweaked and later approved.
Tanner said he was glad to have ended the moratorium early and that residents have been receptive to the law so far.
“If we could always achieve things sooner rather than later, and do it correctly, that’s always a good thing,” he said.
