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Hillsborough Historic District Commission Eases Solar Panel Installation Process <br />1/27/2015 <br />The Hillsborough Historic District Commission has simplified the process for <br />installing solar panels within the historic district. <br />Installing solar panels in the Hillsborough Historic District just got easier. <br />The Hillsborough Historic District Commission has simplified the process for installing photovoltaic <br />solar collecting panels by classifying such installations as a "minor work" when they cannot be seen from <br />the street. <br />Hillsborough Commissioner Jenn Weaver is pleased with the commission's decision. "It is perfectly in <br />keeping with the need to preserve the character of the Historic District while promoting alternative energy <br />in the age of climate change," she said. "Streamlining the solar panel approval process is a way the town <br />can support alternative energy, and I'm so grateful to our staff and HDC volunteers for having the <br />wisdom to come up with this solution." <br />Classifying solar panel installations as a less substantial exterior work expedites the review process by <br />eliminating the need for review by the Historic District Commission. The commission approved the <br />following addition to the Minor Works list in the Hillsborough Historic District Design Guidelines: <br />37. Installation /alteration /removal of low profile, photovoltaic, solar panels, skylights, <br />ventilators, and mechanical equipment or communications equipment when placed on roofslopes <br />that are not visible from the public right -of -way and in locations that do not compromise the <br />architectural integrity of a building. <br />The change allows town staff now to review solar panel applications, which formerly were processed as <br />Certificate of Appropriateness applications requiring full review by the commission. Commission reviews <br />often can take one to two months. <br />About 25 individuals from within the Historic District already have contacted the town about an interest <br />in installing solar panels following initiation last fall of the Solarize Hillsborough program — a grassroots <br />initiative that organized Hillsborough and Orange County neighborhoods together for group discounts on <br />solar panel installations. <br />Town staff generally can review and approve minor work permits within three business days. A $10 fee is <br />required for staff review of minor work. <br />