Willow Glen architect Marvin Bamburg, whose offices are on Lincoln Avenue, has discovered that creating an environmentally friendly business isn't as easy as he thought it would be.

In February, he initially applied to the San Jose Planning Department staff for a permit to place approximately 50 solar panels on his office building, including some that would be seen from the front of the business. He said he thought the application would be approved easily, but the planning department staff denied his request.

San Jose Project Manager Anastazia Aziz said Bamburg's application was turned down because the design guidelines for installing solar panels specifically say panels should not be seen from the street.

"The aesthetics are getting better for solar panels, but they still aren't great, and we want to make the street region, especially in the business areas, a pleasant environment," Aziz said.

She said these requirements also apply to air conditioning on roofs and to antennas, not just to solar panels.

Bamburg vehemently disagrees that solar panels aren't pleasing to look at. He said this is a misconception.

"I don't think they are ugly to look at," Bamburg said. "I think they are elegant."

A photovoltaic panel converts sunlight into energy via solar cells. The reason for placing these panels in a visible building location is to enable the panels to capture as much natural light as possible. When operating at maximum efficiency, solar panels conserve energy, reduce electricity bills and preserve the environment by using a nonpolluting, renewable resource.

After Bamburg was initially denied, he says he was frustrated and decided to let the issue simmer for a while. About two months later, San Jose Vice Mayor Pat Dando interceded on his behalf after a mutual friend—Barry Cinnamon, who owns Akeena Solar in Los Gatos— put Dando in touch with Bamburg to help with revising the initial request.

With Dando's help, Bamburg's solar-panel project was approved by the city's planning staff on June 13, with the agreement that Bamburg remove six panels near the front of the business so they are less visible from Lincoln Avenue.

The total cost for installing the array of panels on his business is about $80,000, with the state rebating Bamburg about $32,000. Although installation of the panels is expensive, Bamburg said he wanted to get the project done.

"I did it because I believe in it," Bamburg said. "I want more people to know about it. I'm using myself as a guinea pig before I try it with my clients."

Bamburg said the project must be completed by October, or he loses the grant funding from the state. He said the state is on a schedule to decrease the amount of funding for the solar-panel-installation projects.

Although some local businesses are having a difficult time pleasing the planning department, others have found their biggest struggle is getting PG&E to figure out how to adjust energy rates.

Willow Glen's International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 332 completed its state-of-the-art commercial solar-powered building using solar photovoltaics in 2001, but it took until the beginning of 2002 for PG&E to figure out how to bill the local for its energy usage.

"PG&E has fought us every step of the way," union spokesman Jay James said. "There are laws that guide this installation and how to adjust rates. They just needed to abide by the rules."

It cost about $500,000 to create the union's "building integrated photovoltaics," but James said that between PG&E and the state of California, the union has only been rebated for half of the total cost.

And, he adds, since the system has been working on all cylinders, the building's monthly power bill has been reduced by at least 50 percent. The union was spending between $7,000 to $8,000 a month. With the use of solar energy, its costs dropped to between $2,000 and $3,000 per month.

With the photovoltaic panels on the roof, as well as awnings and skylights, the building uses about 70 percent solar power and 30 percent power from the PG&E grid.

Despite the troubles both businesses have had implementing the solar panels, James and Bamburg say the struggles have not deterred their goal to conserve energy and the environment.

"Somebody has to start doing it," Bamburg said. "So, I guess that person is me."