Readers Write: Solar panels no threat to safety, aesthetics

The Island Now

am writing in response to Kathy Rittel’s editorial regarding installing solar panels to correct her misconceptions about the dangers of solar panels. 

In no way do they have a lack of aesthetic appeal. 

Once they are on a home, they appear black, and to the casual observer, they look just as if they were the rooftop of the house. 

I have had many people at my house over the past year and typically, my guests did not notice the solar panels until I told him/her.  

This is a photo of my house, want is unappealing about it?

How should a firefighter handle a house that is on fire which has solar panels installed? 

The national Solar Association offers free classes to firefighters as to what they should and should not do when called to a home that has solar panels installed. 

Firefighters attend various training classes throughout their career as to how handle fires for different types of home structures and designs, as time goes on and more homes have solar panels installed, these classes will be part of the basic firefighting courses. 

The type of roof placed on a home could cause the rooftop to collapse more so then others. 

One house may have a slate roof while the other may have a tile roof. The tile roof may weigh less, may be easier to cut then a slate roof, and does not mean we should pass a law that says we should outlaw slate roofs on home? 

Of course not. 

The firefighters know how to fight a fire with the different types of roofs and they make adjustments for each different house they are called to.

Winds that exceeded 100 mph in 2010, and the devastating effects of super storm Sandy, a storm which actually destroyed buildings in minutes and there was no trace of that building to be found anywhere, solar panels are certified to withstand wind gusts of over 120 mph. 

Worried about the possible electrocution of a firefighter? 

All that needs to be done by a trained firefighter is to pull the power meter from the house and would not have to worry about the power from the panels, which is done very easily. 

As time goes on, and with the rising cost of electricity, more and more people are going to have solar pane’s installed on their home. 

The homes that do not have solar panels are going to be looked at as if they have done something wrong by not installing the panels. 

Chris Madison

Manhasset

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