Neighbors bothered by glare of solar panels [View All]

[Liberal_in_LA]

Newport Beach neighbors are glaring at solar panels

Newport Beach residents say the panels on a hillside home are reflecting too much sunlight and want them moved to the roof. The owners say that the panels are staying.



Stephen and Mashid Rizzone long planned on creating a fully "green" dream home and impart a legacy of environmental responsibility to their children.

Toward that end, 168 solar panels were installed in May on the back of the Rizzones' hillside Newport Beach home, facing the northeast side of Balboa Island. And although the panels may indeed be environmentally responsible, they are also imparting a lot of glare on the island neighbors.

"I'm all for going green, and I'm not trying to stop anyone from having solar panels," said Bob Olson, who says the porch of his Balboa Island home is now subjected to an intense glare for 2 1/2 hours a day because of the Rizzones' solar panels. "What I don't understand is why in the world they didn't put the panels on the roof, where it would be more fitting with the look of the community."

So Olson is organizing a coalition of homeowners to take action against the project, starting with a petition to have the panels moved to the Rizzones' rooftop.

"We are certainly concerned about our neighbors, and we have tried to respond to all concerns as best we can," Stephen Rizzone said. "We have made every effort to comply with all laws and regulations. The project is fully permitted and approved by the city."

And the solar panels, he said, are here to stay.The glass covering the Rizzones' solar panels is treated to decrease glare, said Rita Edwards, marketing manager for Northern California-based Premier Power Renewable Energy, which installed the panels and has used the same tempered glass coverings on other projects with success.

Olson, who designed and had a hand in building his Balboa Island home in 2005, said he planned his residence with the intention of preserving the "village look" of the neighborhood.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-newport-green-house-20100622,0,1412004.story