Encouraging Home Energy Systems: By Revising Land Use Regulations

摘要

The purpose of the project was to determine whether current laws governing residential use of property could be modified to permit developers and homeowners to meet their energy needs through solar power and other forms of energy production. We primarily studied active and passive solar energy. The study also included underground housing, wind power, home methane generation and community energy systems. The scale of the technology studied was primarily for detached single residential units, and secondarily, clustered residential areas. The grant report contents are summarized. At the September 10, 1981 public meeting of the Montgomery County Planning Board, the following action was taken: The Board endorsed the concept of amending the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations to facilitate the use of solar energy and other renewable energy resource systems in the County. The Board also directed the staff to deliver a final report to the US Department of Energy and continue the project beyond the grant completion deadline to pursue appropriate ordinance amendments. Since the ordinance amendments listed in Chapter Four are extensive, there is also a need for further review by internal staff and outside persons who are expert in encouraging use of solar and other home energy systems through zoning ordinance modifications. (ERA citation 10:020862)