Birmingham Township Couple Wins Year-Long Struggle over Solar Panels

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Image of Yolanda and Bill Hopping via David Swanson, Philadelphia Inquirer.

Bill Hopping of Birmingham Township has won a year-long struggle with local authorities over the rooftop solar panels on his home, writes Andrew Maykuth for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Last year, the township’s zoning board rejected the system proposed by Hopping and his wife Yolanda. They said it did not comply with rules prohibiting rooftop solar panels from being visible from the street.

Hopping supplied statements from six neighbors who did not object to his proposal. He also submitted a legislative history on the township’s ordinance comparing it with those in other Chester County communities.

“They kind of lifted a middle finger at me,” said Hopping. “That just made me a little more stubborn.”

Hopping, who is a former corporate lawyer with a part-time private practice, sued the township. He argued it could not constitutionally prohibit rooftop solar panels based strictly on aesthetic grounds.

Last month, the township conceded, and the Hoppings received permission to install their $60,000 rooftop solar system facing the street on their Radley Run house.

Read more about the Hoppings’ solar panels in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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