In this case, the beholder is the town of Los Gatos, which will decide whether solar panels can be mounted onto rooftops unscreened and still achieve architectural excellence.

The planning department will study whether this goal is attainable and draft revised guidelines for the town council to consider in upcoming months.

The issue of whether solar panels should be allowed to go unscreened was brought to the forefront by Akeena Solar president Barry Cinnamon, who has spent the past year unsuccessfully attempting to convince the town of this.

After gaining approval to install 18 screened solar panels on his 605 University Ave. building late last year, Cinnamon received word from the town that the panels are still visible. Three of the 18 panels can be seen from Roberts Road and University Avenue, according to Cinnamon.

In response, he suggested the panels be screened with other dark blue solar panels around the perimeter of the rooftop, rather than with a lattice.

Installing solar panels as a screen would cost $14,500 more than a lattice initially, but the money can be recaptured, Cinnamon said.

The company's average monthly electricity bill would normally be $200, but the 18 panels that are already installed reduce the bill by half. If the company is allowed to use the additional proposed panels, the bill would be cut to nearly nothing, Cinnamon said.

"We would receive a very tangible benefit in terms of reduction of electricity," Cinnamon said. "That screen becomes a productive part of our business."

Amidst cries from more than a dozen residents at the Aug. 4 council meeting that the town is not acting with common sense and that it needs to be proactive in dealing with the energy crisis, council members defended their support of renewable energy.

"There's nothing anti-solar about this council," said Councilman Mike Wasserman, who repeatedly noted that this is the same governing body that approved Cinnamon's request for the 18 original panels.

Nevertheless, town resident Darrell Miller said it is an "embarrassment" that the town is perceived as inhibiting solar-energy production.

"The impression that has been given is that you're impeding those who help promote solar energy," Miller said. "In our minds, you should be giving [Cinnamon] the key to the city."

While the town is supportive of solar energy, it also has an obligation to ensure that architectural excellence is maintained, council members said.

"We're not impeding anyone. What we are doing is retaining," Mayor Sandy Decker said about the historic look of Los Gatos.

Existing town codes prohibit roof-mounted mechanical equipment, such as solar panels, from being seen. Cinnamon has asked the town to take the "mechanical equipment" label off solar panels because the panels have no moving parts.

What is upsetting to residents is that the town puts solar panels in the same category as air-conditioning units, as both are considered roof-mounted mechanical equipment, Miller said.

Town resident Nan Bixler said people can acquire a taste for an object over time. "As we observe things, we learn to like the look of something because we know what it stands for and what it promises us," she said.

One issue that was not touched upon at last week's meeting is that the panels, proposed to serve as a screen, could also be considered as signs advertising the company's business. Since Akeena Solar already has a sign on the front of the building, the additional solar panels mean the company would go over the allowable sign limit, said Community Development Director Bud Lortz.

At the end of the 2¹/2-hour discussion, the council decided to uphold the planning commission's decision that Cinnamon's solar panels cannot go unscreened. Council members also voted unanimously to have town staff look into drafting a new policy that would allow panels to remain visible in the future if they don't diminish the aesthetic value of a building. The town hopes to have a draft completed in approximately six months.

"Let us work the process and evolve the process together," said Councilman Joe Pirzynski.