Cutting Trees For Solar Panels

If you are considering cutting down fewer than 50 trees to get the most out of a 7 500 watt solar electric system don t feel guilty.

Cutting trees for solar panels.

In the foreground is a copse of trees which could be cut down to make space for solar panels. Robin lubbock wbur for the. That s what s been happening in massachusetts. On a net environmental basis you are doing the right thing.

Trinity episcopal church in stoughton is surrounded by woodland. Some environmental benefits of trees however can be counted. The state department of energy resources estimates that approximately 2 500 acres of trees equal to the size of 50 boston commons have been cut down to put up solar panels in the last 10 to 15 years. Removing trees to get more exposure to solar panels is actually very environmentally friendly.

It s a difficult truth but solar power and trees do not always get along. One of the only instances where cutting down trees can be environmentally friendly is if trees were being removed to maximize solar panel exposure. That s a tough question. Branches and leaves can block sunlight from hitting your roof which means your solar panels aren t maximizing their electricity production potential.

Ironically maximizing those solar benefits may involve cutting down a tree or two. Let s do the math here. Tim yaotome october 23 2018 at 3 49 am as i do agree that a tree s leaves and branches will block out the sun s path towards the solar panels a rather important reason to have a tree removed is whether the tree will fall down on the panel during tornados strong winds or hurricanes. The trend is particularly pronounced in the western part of the state where some residents and environmentalists are worried the demand for cleaner energy is destroying some of their beloved forests.

I expect most of us would think twice before truly cutting down 50 trees but you get the general point. Sometimes solar can involve painful tradeoffs. Sharon lynn president of the league of women voters of seminole county a group that helps residents tap solar power said the league doesn t advocate for the cutting down of trees in every. Fifty is what the numbers say.

Companies like six flags are cutting down trees to make room for solar panels and missing part of the point of environmentalism.