Over the years the building department in Forest Park has processed one or two permits a year for homeowners planning to add solar panels to their homes.
Hard to explain, then, why in 2019 the village has seen 15-17 residential solar power applications come through. We’re not complaining and neither is the village’s building department.
As we all become increasingly aware of the climate crisis, we’re also starting to feel the direct impact of harsh changes in climate. Everything is amped up. Higher, more variable temperatures, rising flood water and also drought, intensifying hurricanes and wildfires.
Self-interest and collective stewardship demand that we all work to lessen our impact on this earth. Solar panels are a great way to harness existing and available energy, reducing dependence on electricity generated by carbon sources. And while the current measures of the federal government are stunningly backward, there remain effective state and federal tax credits that make solar both an environmental and an economic benefit.
