Legal Barriers to Solar Heating and Cooling of Buildings

In this book we look at ways solar energy will probably be used and ask what legal problems its would-be users may encounter. We consider the potential problems of commercial and industrial users as well as those in new subdivisions. It is likely that so-called passive systems will be used along with active, so we look at some of their unique problems.Solar energy is often called free energy. This is a mistake as a quid pro quo will be asked, just as it is for anything of great value. The application of solar energy will mean that property owners will lose some types of freedom while gaining others that are more appropriate to this new technology.Sunlight radiates, unobstructed, through 93 million miles of space. It is only in the final few hundred feet before it touches earth that its flow is impeded. Although the distance is short, the legal problems of guaranteeing everyone equitable access to this golden bounty are great.Environmental Law Institute Staff is the author of 'Legal Barriers to Solar Heating and Cooling of Buildings' with ISBN 9780894990144 and ISBN 0894990144.