Set up solar, or save a tree? It’s complicated

Short Wave

NPR

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🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

To solar or not to solar? That is the question for this latest episode of our monthly series Nature Quest. For listener Darcey Hughes, installing solar panels isn’t just about keeping her utilities free of fossil fuels – it’s also a way to become fully self-reliant and save some money each month. But there’s a catch: She might have to chop down a large, shading cedar tree. Today, we investigate: When is solar worth it? And is it worth the price of an old, majestic tree?

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Want to learn more about easy-to-install solar? Check out NPR climate correspondent Jeff Brady’s reporting on plug-in solar panels.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:05.4	Happy spring shortwavers.
0:07.3	I'm producer Hannah Chin, and my NatureQuest buddy, Emily Kwong, is also here.
0:11.6	Hi, Hannah.
0:12.3	With a story about an age-old question for homeowners.
0:16.3	Namely, should I cut down that big tree in my front yard?
0:20.4	Yeah, to chainsaw. or not to chainsaw?
0:25.0	That is the question.
0:27.3	Darcy Hughes lives a few miles north of Seattle, Washington,
0:30.5	and has got this big towering cedar tree that grows right next to her house.
0:34.7	And right now we've got a few birds up there and a few crows, of course.
0:43.3	It's generally pretty peaceful here. Cedars are evergreens. So all year long, this tree casts a long
0:51.6	dappled shadow over her front yard.
0:55.1	Really no direct sunlight comes through these branches at all.
1:00.7	And Darcy wants to know, should she keep the tree or cut it down to install solar panels on her roof?
1:08.1	Okay, so really the question should be to solar or not to solar. Yes. Now,
1:13.0	there are nearly six million solar energy installations in the U.S. alone. And when it comes to
1:18.7	home solar, a lot of people make the switch because most public utilities rely on fossil fuels.
1:24.3	Like coal, like natural gas. Yeah, but Darcy is in this really unique situation because
1:29.5	Nahomish County, most of its energy comes from hydropower dams. So 90% of her energy is already carbon-free.
1:36.6	Got it. Wait, so then what's the point of installing solar? She wants to be self-reliant, and it wouldn't
1:42.9	hurt to lower her electric bills by making her own energy, but at what cost?
	...

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