Kildeer passes ordinance to allow rooftop solar

Following a five-year effort led by residents, the Kildeer Village Board of Trustees unanimously adopted an ordinance Tuesday allowing the installation of rooftop solar panels.

In an attempt to stay true to its motto — "A Unique Village in a Natural Setting" — Kildeer had been one of the few Illinois municipalities to ban roof-mounted solar panels from residential buildings, the leading reason being aesthetics.

At the forefront of the charge to overturn the ban was an informal group of residents interested in solar power for both environmental and economical reasons. After garnering 115 signatures on an online petition and speaking at October’s board meeting, the group saw a favorable development last night when it voted 4-0 to adopt the new ordinance.

“Everybody was just extremely positive and respectful and said things very passionately, but in a very controlled way,” Zanillo said of the residents’ testimony to the board. “At the November meeting, we had a number of people in the audience just be there as a reminder that we haven't forgotten about the issue. It all kind of led up to where we got to yesterday.”

The village continues to prohibit free-standing or ground-mounted solar energy systems, solar farms and solar gardens. Prior to the ordinance, residents could install only a generally pricier version of solar energy collection: integrated solar roofs, which are made of solar shingles that blend into a home's appearance.

“The expectation was that technology would catch up and (solar shingles) would be available today at a competitive price point, and that hasn't happened,” Chief Village Officer Michael Talbett said. “I think that's why when the petition was received, the environment was right to make these adjustments so that people could have solar, and at the same time, be sensitive to the aesthetic concerns that other people have as well.”

The ordinance comes with a few stipulations, one being that a resident’s rooftop solar array must not be installed on a portion of the roof that faces the street.

Additionally, trim caps must be installed on every edge, the system cannot extend more than six inches above the roof surface, and conduit must be installed close to gutter lines and painted to match the surface where it is installed or be otherwise masked.

“We're reasonable people, and we're prepared to compromise,” Zanillo said. “We'll live with it the way it is. I know there's a number of people that are already calling to get estimates for solar panels right away.”

Talbett said the democratic process, from residents passing around the petition in early fall to the new ordinance passing just four months later, was well-handled.

“(The residents) expressed their concerns in a way that the board was very responsive to what they had to say, and that was a great thing. Once the concerns were understood and digested, and we had a chance to research what could be done and talk to a lot of people, they came up with an amendment that I hope will make the village a better place,” he said.

Zanillo added he hopes there’s a possibility of allowing the solar systems on street-facing roofs in the future.

“Down the road as people kind of get used to seeing them around here, I think maybe it'd be a minor tweak to just say, ‘Well, they're not that bad as we thought, let's put them out in the front,’” he said.

To continue preserving the aesthetic vision of Kildeer, Talbett said he hopes solar technology will continue to advance — just in a less flashy way.

“Solar is certainly something that we'll see more and more of, and as technology does improve, I think there'll be better and better systems out there, which will address everybody's concerns,” he said. “At the same time, I suspect that they will become less obtrusive as well, so it's going to be a win-win for everybody down the road. It's nice that we're going forward together.”

* Jenny Whidden, jwhidden@dailyherald.com, is a climate change and environment writer working with the Daily Herald through a partnership with Report For America supported by The Nature Conservancy. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.