"The whole backside of my house faces that - the kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom and a lovely cut stone patio," said Katz, who believes the panels would also destroy the ecosystem of birds and animals that pass through her yard. And a few neighbors, like Katz, simply didn't want to look out their windows and see a "solar panel sea." Several believed a lawn-based installation would cover up too much valuable green space. Others said the solar array might worsen a water runoff problem in the area. Some people didn't want a handful of trees on the property cut down - a necessary step for installing the panels. "I've heard everything at this point," said Ira Kolman, president of the Mount Washington Improvement Association. It didn't take long for criticism to pour in. Lampner realized there could be opposition and decided to get feedback from the community association before completing plans or applying for permits. The proposed solar array would be located on a grassy area away from the road, but would still be visible to a handful of neighbors. ![]() Lampner says solar panels, which have already been installed at the company's headquarters in Baltimore, are a natural next step for its houses in Mount Washington. His organization has been trying to increase the energy efficiency of its buildings for the last seven years by weatherizing structures and upgrading appliances. "For us, it's essentially a business decision," said Martin Lampner, the president and CEO of Chimes. The organization, Chimes International Ltd., provides housing and services for the disabled and says it wants to cut utility costs. In the historic district of Mount Washington in Baltimore, Katz and other homeowners have started a petition to prevent their neighbors - who operate a nonprofit in a cluster of residential, hilltop homes - from installing solar panels on their lawn. It's much different than painting your house yellow polka dots." "Someone's roof looking slightly different is a small compromise, in my opinion. "I've dealt with many homeowners associations, and a lot of them like to throw their weight around and tell people what they can do," said Justin Daily, a designer and consultant for Advanced Energy Systems, a major solar installation company in Oregon. But now these battles are spreading to things like wind farms and residential solar arrays, which have often already been installed. Historically, so-called NIMBY (or "not in my backyard") fights have been waged to keep large-scale projects, such as landfills or major power lines, out of neighborhoods. This is good news for the environment, but an annoyance for residents who are invested in keeping up the traditional appearances of their surroundings. Government incentives, fluctuating electricity bills and the declining cost of solar panels are believed to have contributed to the boom. Solar Market Insight" quarterly report ( Greenwire, Dec. solar industry saw record-breaking growth last year, and residential installations played a significant role, increasing by 21 percent in the third quarter of 2011, according to the most recent data from the "U.S. All over the country, citizens like Katz have begun organizing to block renewable energy projects, throwing a wrench into some peoples' plans to "go green." ![]() It takes a good deal of work - and regulations - to keep suburban communities looking picture perfect, and arrays of shiny solar panels don't always fit the vision homeowners have for their neighborhoods. "No one would want this in their backyard. "My initial reaction was, 'Oh my gosh, this is going to be an eyesore,'" remembers Katz, who was confronted by a plan for more than 600 ground-based solar panels on her neighbors' lawn. Then, last month, she found a notice in her mailbox that threatened to change all that: The neighbors wanted to put in an array of solar panels just beyond her back fence. She loves the neighborhood for its quiet charm and takes pleasure in the numerous foxes, birds and deer that roam outside her window. For 33 years, Barbara Katz has enjoyed sitting with her husband and gazing into the backyard of their hilltop home, located in an area of historic houses in north Baltimore.
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