While installing solar panels is one of the most constructive and eco-conscious ways to save money on home energy, petty neighborhood disagreements can unfortunately interfere with the efficacy of these upgrades.
In the r/treelaw subreddit, one homeowner lamented that their neighbor "intentionally planted trees to block the sun from [their] solar system."
"Is there a law against this?" the user inquired.
An autonomous off-grid solar system can be surprisingly economical under the right circumstances — but there's no accounting for disputes like these. Still, if you're interested in sustaining your home with clean power, consider checking EnergySage for quick solar estimates and quotes from vetted installers near you.
Although the original poster failed to specify what exactly might have prompted this drastic action, it appears that these trees have begun to undermine the electricity production of their solar panels.
Reddit commenters conceded that in many places, there isn't a specific law prohibiting "solar blocking." They recommended that the OP reposition their off-grid system rather than attempting to duke it out.
For homeowners making a genuine effort to slash their energy bills while reducing their carbon footprints, situations like these can prove disheartening.
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$200 or more 💰 Folks in the comments were sympathetic but fair regarding the OP's situation.
"I'm not gonna say there's not some kind of law somewhere about this, but I certainly don't know of any and it seems unlikely," one user wrote. "The best place to spend your time and energy would be in moving the panels."
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"Have you spoken to your neighbor?" another asked. "Did you speak to your neighbor prior to building the tracking arrays? Planting trees to break up the line of sight to some ugly infrastructure (e.g. solar panels) is a perfectly reasonable thing to do."
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