1. Guidelines will be reviewed by the HOA legal council (complete).
2. Guidelines will be presented to the board at the 2/10/2010 meeting (at 4PM).
3. Guidelines will be mailed to all Creekside residents.
4. There will be a special meeting of the board for the purpose hearing input from residents on the subject of solar guidelines.

1. Creekside residents are supportive of solar power: Granted that not everyone in Creekside has voted in the poll but we feel that we have a significant sampling of Creekside residents voting.
2. Request for the Creekside mailing list: Our mailing list was developed from public tax records available at the Marion County Assessors web site. Since the Creekside HOA does not share the Creekside Mailing list we will be making the public version available on this website.
3. Issues other than solar power: Creekside residents tell us they have other issues they are concerned about in addition to solar power such as: Wind power, grass requirements, Wacky fence aesthetic priorities which encourages chain-link fences but prohibits wood no matter how elegant the wood fence is.
4. Many would prefer to remain anonymous. As a result we’ve added the Discussion page that allows feedback and discussion on any subject where the commenter can remain anonymous.

After a year of delaying, John had to threaten legal action before the Rock Creek HOA would approve his solar installation. There are a remarkable number of similarities between John Forbes situation and the current solar installation hold up that we have here in Creekside. However, in the John Forbes case the Rock Creek HOA never broke the law since, as John describes, they knew about the Colorado law that prohibits banning solar installations, so they didn’t take any disapproval action. Whereas the Creekside HOA broke the Oregon law when they disapproved my solar installation request and cited the reason that “the panels are not permitted by the Creekside CC&Rs“. Oregon State Law ORS 105.880 does not allow CC&Rs to ban solar panels.

There are currently seven facilities, from Portland to Eugene, producing everything from silicon ingots and wafers to solar cells to inverters.

These facilities employ about 700 people, with plans to expand to over 2700 in the period 2010-2011.  This means at least 2000 Valley residents currently work in or serve/supply this industry and  within two years that figure will jump to over 8000.

In addition, the article indicates the (disclosed) investments made, or to be made, in these plants and facilities exceeds $700 million.

Another way to look at how green solar power can make our valley is the home owner’s investment when installing a photovoltaic system.  We recently received a proposal to install a 2.5kW PV system for $17,500.  After figuring in the Energy Trust cash incentive and the federal and state tax credits which can be taken, the net investment in this system will be only $3188.  Our estimated savings in electricity costs results in a payback of a bit over 14 years.  In addition, data is beginning to come in indicating that solar power installed on a home increases its value and resale price (more on this in another article).  Put together, that’s a lot of green to get by being green!

I find this lack of progress disappointing. I’ve now been working on getting approval to install solar panels on my home for 6 months. I submitted my request to the ARC on June 29 of this year and my solar project was disapproved on July 10. On August 27 I pointed out that the ARC disapproval action on my solar project was illegal due to the Oregon law ORS 105.880. The Creekside legal council apparently agrees.

As of November 9, when the Energy Trust reduced cash solar installation incentives so to date all these delays have cost me $1,500. That is, if I installed a solar system today I’d get $1,500 less cash incentives from the Energy Trust than I would have back in June 2009. Furthermore, there is a real risk of reductions in Oregon tax credits as installation of solar is delayed.

Compared to the business environment I’m used to operating in, the HOA and ARC seem to carryout business at a glacial pace. Much of this preliminary guideline proposal and objection etc. could even be done online ahead of a face-to-face meeting. It now looks like it will take a month to even schedule the first meeting. This pace is slow by any one’s standard!

Is the adoption of solar installation guidelines really this difficult? The research that I’ve done on HOA solar guide lines indicates that virtually every HOA in the the US that has solar guidelines has about a paragraph in their Architectural Guidelines that are simple and basic. The guidelines that we proposed to the Creekside HOA in October 2009, are a compilation of many of these guidelines from other HOAs.

Read the whole article at: http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/11/report_gives_oregon_high_marks.html

“… solar advocates are pushing for a federal version of the California law. Energy legislation that moved through the House earlier this year included a provision that would make it illegal for HOA rules, leases or private contracts to prohibit the installation of solar systems”.

Read the whole article at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-panels30-2009nov30,0,5567208.story?page=1

Solar shingle are just that: shingles similar to roofing shingles on most homes. Except these shingles are photovoltaic and produce electricity, like solar panels.

While solar shingles (versus panels) have been around for awhile, there does not appear to be many if any big-name manufacturers producing them.

Enter Dow Chemical.

In October of this year, Dow unveiled its “Powerhouse” Solar Shingles, which can be integrated into a home’s array of asphalt roofing shingles. Dow anticipates having a limited supply available in 2010, with a larger supply coming in 2011.

Dow has invested $50 million in a photovoltaic facility at the company’s 1,900-acre complex in Michigan, a sign that big players like Dow recognize that solar is here to stay….. and is a good business move from an industry’s perspective.

So what does this mean for consumers?

First, solar shingles are cheaper to install. They are typically installed just like asphalt shingles, and by regular roofing contractors. Unlike panels, there is no need for specialized roof construction, but an electrician is still needed to do the hook up to the home’s electrical system.

Second, solar shingles are cheaper to produce, which can reduce costs to end users. Panels are still a bit pricy.

Third, and let’s face it, some folks are just turned off (or their neighbors may grouse) by having a solar panel sitting on a home’s roof. Solar shingles blend in much better with asphalt shingles.

I am sure there are still pros and cons with solar shingles versus panels. For one, currently more square feet of shingles are needed to produce the equivalent wattage of a smaller panel. However, shingle materials and contractor costs can be less expensive, which may offset needing a larger shingle “footprint.”

With Dow in the solar shingle game, others are sure to follow. This means more research and improvements in the technology…. and hopefully lower prices for homeowners as competition drives prices down, while technology improves effectiveness.

PS. The northwest is also a player in solar shingles. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington recently unveiled a flexible solar shingle based on technology originally designed for television screens. For more info, click here.

First some facts:

• In mid-October the HOA Board acknowledged Oregon law prevents an HOA from banning solar energy projects.
• We agreed with the Board that reasonable guidelines should be developed and adopted for the purpose of governing such installations.
• Within 2 weeks a set of proposed guidelines was delivered to the Board and CMI.  Click here to view proposed Creekside Solar Guidelines
• At the 11/11 Board meeting we were informed the new Board would first begin consideration and discussion of the guidelines at the 12/9 Board meeting.
• The 12/9 Board meeting resulted in the creation of an ad hoc committee.  This committee is comprised of the current and former ARC chairs, a current ARC member and two of the Creekside residents involved with this website.  It is charged with forwarding a set of solar guidelines for Board approval.   To date, the first meeting of this committee has not been scheduled……..stay tuned for updates.
• It is now New Year’s Eve and still no word from the committee’s Board member scheduling the first meeting of the ad hoc committee.
• We are six days into 2010 and still no communication……wondering if this committee will ever meet
• On 1/14/10 the ad hoc committee on solar guidelines finally met…..one day after the January HOA Board meeting. The guidelines we proposed back in October were reviewed and several changes were discussed. We agreed to continue discussions via e-mail as several committee members had travel plans in the coming week.
• On 1/22/10 the committee met again and agreed on a set of guidelines to be submitted for Board review.  We have been advised these guidelines will be presented to the Board at its meeting on 2/10/10.

Approval and circulation of the guidelines is THE roadblock to Creekside residents submitting plans for solar energy installations and gaining approval of such plans.  While we support the Board’s intention to carefully review and consider these proposed guidelines we also believe time is of the essence because unnecessary delays in moving forward place Creekside residents interested in pursuing investments in solar energy projects at a potential disadvantage. Specifically:

• Energy Trust of Oregon provides cash incentives that have already been reduced this year by $1000 (for a 2 kW system)
• There are no Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) Solar Ally residential contractors in Salem, consequently, we must depend on contractors from other communities where the local demand for solar energy installations might also be increasing
• The State of Oregon could be forced to consider reducing or eliminating its tax credit to help balance the State’s budget - potentially costing the homeowner up to $6000 over 4 years.
• Other communities in Salem are embracing solar, including an adjacent development, creating a potential comparative loss of property values at Creekside as new buyers look for sustainable communities.
• PV systems installed before the summer heat will help reduce electric bills and assist PGE in managing peak loads during the hottest days.  The only way to get PV systems installed before the summer heat is for the light to turn green on solar energy projects at Creekside very very soon.

What you can do to help:

1. Take the SOLAR POLL on, the side-bar to the left, so we can guage interest and support for solar among Creekside residents.
2. Sign up for e-mail updates by SUBSCRIBING on the left side-bar.

So, after attending the Solar Expo in Portland in May I found a solar installer and started moving towards the installation of a 3000 watt solar photo voltaic installation. Since our HOA (Creekside in Salem) requires approval for all home modification projects I submitted the plan to the HOA for approval. Much to my surprise the HOA said, “no, the CC&Rs don’t allow solar panels”.

After some research, I found that HOAs all over give homeowners push-back on solar installations. However, there are many states (OR, CA, CO, AZ, FL and others) have solar rights laws that say that Home Owner Associations cannot outlaw solar power installations. Oregon’s solar rights law ORS 105.880, was enacted in 1979 during the first oil crisis when it first became clear that solar power needed to be encouraged. After, pointing ORS 105.880 out to my HOA board they finally agreed that they could not ban solar installations but they did have the power to establish guidelines to guide the installation of solar systems. They are currently in the process of establishing solar power installation guidelines.

The important message from this experience is that in Oregon your HOA cannot stop you from installing solar panels on your home. Apparently, ORS 105.880 has not been tested in the courts but the prevailing legal opinion is that this law is valid and enforceable. I have anecdotal evidence that this same situation that occurred in my case has happen to other people in Oregon. That is, HOAs try to stop solar but end up reconsidering when they are made aware of ORS 105.880.