I am writing to comment on your recent article about the man who recently had to take down his solar array. I spoke with this man over a year ago and I know why he is in trouble. I have a solar-powered house and I know why he ran into problems. I am concerned that the Reporter did not properly research this article before it was published.

The standard process all people go through when the want to build a structure is they first must get a building permit, and have the structure inspected for safety. Later, if they want to install solar they must get an electrical permit from the state Department of Labor and Industries. The homeowner in this article did not get a structural permit. Indeed he misrepresented that the building was going to be an “agricultural structure,” which it clearly is not. He did get the electrical permit, but the city was not concerned about the solar array, but rather the structure he placed it on.

So as you can see the issue was that the homeowner did not follow the usual steps. I think the article should serve as a lesson to us all to do some research before going solar. Instead your article implied that the man was being treated unfairly and I think the article did a disservice.

With that said, I am a general contractor, and I specialize in green technology. I am a proud Kenmore resident, and as I mentioned before my home has been retrofitted with solar, and other green technology. I am happy to be a resource for your paper in the future if you need technical advice about these issues.

James R. Colver, Kenmore