What do you do when your neighbors complain about your solar panels?

[geckosfeet]

Towns grapple with larger solar projects

Should people be able to build solar arrays on their property? Basically these are appliances, like exterior ac units, swimming pools etc. IMO they are far less objectionable than parked junk cars that never move, lawns that go uncut for weeks at a time, badly planned outdoor decks and additions, overgrown weed infested lots and run down crumbling storage sheds.

A friend of mine (in Westborough) built a decent sized solar panel array to power his house with. They got building permits and town, state and federal subsidies to help with some of the cost of building. After it was all done and installed, their neighbors started to complain about having to see the array of panels in the adjacent property. They are trying to get the town to create and enforce new zoning regulations (my friends array would be grandfathered) to forbid anyone else building similar arrays on residential property.

Shouldn't people be allowed to install solar panels? They are not noisy. They don't smell or pollute. They are a positive contribution to the human energy footprint. And a row of trees can be grown to block the view.