Landmarks Preservation Commission and solar projects

Hi all, posting here in the hopes that someone might have some good suggestions.  We own a house in the Crown Heights North historic district and we participated in one of the recent solar group purchase bids in the neighborhood, hoping that we could put in a system that would completely offset the energy usage of both units in our house.  We wanted a solar canopy so that we could still have usable space on our rooftop.  The design of the canopy is set back from the front of the roof, but it has to be high (I think 9 feet off the roof) in the rear of the roof because of fire department regs.

It now appears that the Landmarks Preservation Committee will be denying our canopy application because, in the wintertime, you can see the project on the back of the roof if you stand diagonally across the street from the building and look at the roof.  (In the summer you wouldn't be able to see it through the trees.) They want us to take off a row or two of panels, which would mean that we won't generate enough energy to sustain the whole house.  Apparently we can appeal this to the full LPC but that would cost us a couple thousand bucks that we don't have, and it's uncertain whether the LPC would approve it anyway.

It is killing me that we are trying to put up our own money to do this project that is a net social good (switching 2 dwelling units to renewable energy might not be much, but at least it's something), and we're being stopped because of the very minor view issue.  I've had a conversation with the reviewer at the LPC, who basically says that his hands are tied.  I don't know if there's anything else I can do, other than write a letter to the LPC commissioners, but I thought someone here might have a good idea.  It just seems like such a shame that these projects, which are really good from a public policy perspective, are getting turned down (ours can't be the only one).  Suggestions welcome, and sorry for the long post!