It seems to me that the HOA itself may have some responsibility here as they actually approved the installation. Perhaps they should be the ones documenting the extent of the glare. After all, if it ever goes the legal route, there will be discovery and you can bet that the glare will have to be fully documented. Have you informed the HOA of the problem? I'd echo J.P.M.'s suggestion re dealing with the HOA: be polite and professional. Since they approved the installation, there's some incentive for them to be on your side.
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Neighbor experiencing glare, wants me to remove panels or he will take legal action
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Originally posted by peakbagger View PostNext thing to remember is angle of incidence equal angle of refraction...Comment
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Originally posted by tracksyde View PostI am not a lawyer and I dont play on on TV either, but I believe with the passage of Ab2188, effective 1/1/2015, the 20% decrease in efficiency you speak of was decreased to 10%. as in, an HOA's "suggestions" cannot decrease the efficiency of your system by more than 10%.
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/fa...arch_keywords=
Thank you for the correction.Comment
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Depending on how the glare pans out, how big yards are, etc., would putting up a fence, hedge, billboard, etc. be a potential fix?Comment
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Originally posted by Ian S View PostIt seems to me that the HOA itself may have some responsibility here as they actually approved the installation. ...
If you need to see a lawyer, consider looking for a lawyer / law firm with some experience in this area, so that they don't have to come up to speed on solar panels and CA related case law. Many lawyers write legal updates on topics they have been interested in. One possible way to identify experienced lawyers is to do some google searches including case law, or law firm, words and phrases like that. (law review, law journal articles, while informative, are often prepared by law students).
Timing may be a difficult decision. Hopefully, no lawyers need to be involved (perhaps this can be resolved with the HOA alone if both of you are members).
On the other hand, if this controversy might go to a legal action, even months or years out, it is probably best that only your lawyer communicates on this matter with the adverse party (or, of course their lawyer if it gets that far).
See what the HOA says, they might want to take complete control for the first pass. If you need to move towards hiring a lawyer, many give a free consultation, and you might be able to "interview" more than one.
(just information, not legal advice)Last edited by idnominal; 08-29-2016, 04:15 PM.Comment
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I wonder what "damages" your neighbor can prove? Saying you are going to sue and actually doing it are two totally different things.Comment
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Beyond the idea of adding a hedge / screen / billboard / awning / tree to shield the neighbor,
would a small change in tilt of the affected panels help? You might be able to move the reflection enough to help.Comment
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The simplest route might be to offer solar sun film on the neighbors affected windows.
But generally, PV panels have an anti-reflection coating, reflected light is lost power. Some glare could be expected, but getting someone to move panels by changing the angle, will cost $1,000 just to have them drive up to do the job.
I think it is a case of "sour grapes" you have panels, and they don't. so they want "something".Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
|| Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
|| VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A
solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-ListerComment
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There's a cheap simple solution
Don't focus on blocking the glare at his end. Focus on blocking it from your end without moving any panels. The panels are flat against the roof. You need something just a few inches up and it will block the glare. Add a mirror material to the panel side to focus some sunlight back to the panels so that you wouldn't lose any productionLast edited by huge; 08-30-2016, 10:52 PM.Comment
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Originally posted by category4 View PostI wonder what "damages" your neighbor can prove? Saying you are going to sue and actually doing it are two totally different things.
For sure, a threat is very different from action. Hopefully the OP can solve the problem with no lawyers. Even if lawyers get involved, most controversies do not go to trial, or even get as far as filing a case, let alone the early stages of discovery. More often than not, it is a few phone calls or a letter or two, or maybe a meeting, and that's it.Last edited by idnominal; 08-29-2016, 09:00 PM.Comment
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Originally posted by DanKegel View PostBeyond the idea of adding a hedge / screen / billboard / awning / tree to shield the neighbor,
would a small change in tilt of the affected panels help? You might be able to move the reflection enough to help.
Point is, without actually moving the array, knowing apriori what's going to happen at any daylight minute, it's near impossible to predict what will happen for every daylight hour for every day of the year under a scheme as you envision.
I've tried using 12" X 12 " mirror tiles to see the reflective effect on neighbors before arrays go in. A few degrees or less will move a reflection a lot. The sun's movement will move it as much in a few min. Point is, while possible, as a practical matter, it's near impossible to predict where a solar reflection will be at any time that is not the present.
Rearrangement of an array may shift the time of offending reflections, or onto a different neighbor. Even if reflections can be guaranteed to be avoided altogether, the resulting tilt and or azimuth may be aesthetically unpleasant. to the owner. And then, there's always the real possibility of fixing one problem only to create a new one with a different neighbor. I don't have a one size fits all solution, or maybe no solution, yet, but changing the tilt (or azimuth for that matter) can be a real challenge both in $$ and complexity with an uncertain outcome at best.
Your tilt idea seems to me to be another example of " You could just do this - after all, I'm only and 'idea' person" type of thinking. Seen such and been cleaning up the mess such thinking causes for a long time.Comment
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#1) Confirm the details of the "glare". Ask your neighbor to let you see what he's complaining about. Verify whether the glare really exists, and if so how it supposedly affects the neighbor's life. Then consider how neighborly you want to be in remedying the problem. If it's just some reflection hitting the side of his house halfway up, that's different than if there's a concentrated glare onto the seating area of his patio or tv room or into his eyes while he's cooking something in the kitchen.
#2) If you're concerned about the cost of a remedy, consider alerting your homeowner's insurance. To the extent your neighbor has threatened legal action, your homeowner's carrier may provide coverage and may agree to nip things in the bud by settling early (i.e. moving the panels for you).
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Originally posted by Beachsolar View Post#1) Confirm the details of the "glare". Ask your neighbor to let you see what he's complaining about. Verify whether the glare really exists, and if so how it supposedly affects the neighbor's life. Then consider how neighborly you want to be in remedying the problem. If it's just some reflection hitting the side of his house halfway up, that's different than if there's a concentrated glare onto the seating area of his patio or tv room or into his eyes while he's cooking something in the kitchen.
#2) If you're concerned about the cost of a remedy, consider alerting your homeowner's insurance. To the extent your neighbor has threatened legal action, your homeowner's carrier may provide coverage and may agree to nip things in the bud by settling early (i.e. moving the panels for you).
Instruments such as a solar pathfinder may be of some help in this by use as a symmetric way to find an incidence angle "cone" so to speak as the symmetric portion of the "cone" of the reflection illuminated surface. I do not have such an instrument, but having one and applying a bit of inventiveness might bear some fruit or at least a few ideas.Comment
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You need to go experience this "glare" for yourself and while you're there, take some pics.
HE may think it is an issue - but what would an ordinary, prudent person think - I think that is the benchmark you would be shooting for if it was to go to court
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It'd be interesting to hear about other cases, and how they were resolved.
Here's one where I was able to find addresses for both ends of the dispute:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun...house-20100622
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/1301...17.8878878,19z
(pretty big array, claim was "the porch of his Balboa Island home is now subjected to an intense glare for 2 1/2 hours a day".)
Not sure how the case was resolved, though.
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