Santa Barbara, Calif., Construction Company Tapping Power of the Sun

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Santa Barbara contractor Joe Campanelli is helping local property owners see the light, or more accurately, the power of light.

Dec. 25-Santa Barbara contractor Joe Campanelli is helping local property owners see the light, or more accurately, the power of light.





Mr. Campanelli, president of the Santa Barbara Contractors Association, recently unveiled his innovative solar panel project to make his office building 100 percent self-sufficient when it comes to energy.





This past week, Mr. Campanelli installed solar panels on the building at 809 Bond Ave. that houses Campanelli & Associates Construction. The installation was done in conjunction with the Santa Barbara County Million Solar Roofs Partnership, a project of the Community Environmental Council.





Mr. Campanelli, who has been working with Solar Electric Systems, demonstrated the installation and operation of two types of Schott solar panels. The controls on the solar panels are "reverse metered," so any unused energy will be sent back to Edison and redistributed to other consumers, helping to lower energy costs in the community.





Mr. Campanelli is one of the 21 members of the Santa Barbara Contractors Association that have signed up for the organization's new Built Green Santa Barbara program.





The program, launched in November, is the first of its kind in California to promote resource-efficient development, design and construction.





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© 2004, Santa Barbara News-Press. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.