The Times Covers Ugly Solar

Even in New Jersey, people would prefer solar to be attractive. The main utility in NJ is installing 200,000 solar panels on utility poles, apparently one panel per pole. Quoting an article in in today’s New York Times…

Some residents consider the overhanging panels “ugly” and “hideous” and worry aloud about the effect on property values.

“I hate them,” Mr. Olsen, 40, said of the row of panels attached to electrical poles across the street. “It’s just an eyesore.”

We agree with Mr. Olsen. Utility poles and wires are already bad enough, but get worse when you stick a rectangle on the side.

Here again is a reason for Spotlight Solar. Solar has a place in meeting global energy requirements, but needs to be an aesthetic asset, not a liability.