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Minnesota Model Solar Ordinance 3 <br />Components of a Solar Standards Ordinance <br />Solar energy standards should: <br />1. Create an as-of-right solar installation path for property-owners. Create a clear regulatory path (an as-of- <br />right installation) to solar development for accessory uses and - if appropriate - for principal uses such as <br />large-scale solar and ground-mount community shared solar installations. <br />2. Enable principal solar uses. Define where community- and large-solar energy land uses are appropriate as <br />a principal or primary use, set development standards and procedures to guide development, and capture <br />co-benefit opportunities for water quality, habitat, agriculture. <br />3. Limit regulatory barriers to developing solar resources. Ensure that access to solar resources is not unduly <br />limited by height, setback, or coverage standards, recognizing the distinct design and function of solar <br />technologies and land uses for both accessory and principal uses. <br />4. Define appropriate aesthetic standards. Retain an as-of-right installation pathway for accessory uses <br />while balancing design concerns in urban neighborhoods and historic districts. Set reasonable aesthetic <br />standards for solar principal uses that are consistent with other principal uses that have visual impacts. <br />5. Address cross-property solar access issues. Consider options for protecting access across property lines in <br />the subdivision process and in zoning districts that allow taller buildings on smaller (urban density) lots. <br />6. Promote “solar-ready” design. Every building that has a solar resource should be built to seamlessly use <br />it. Encourage builders to use solar-ready subdivision and building design. <br />7. Include solar in regulatory incentives. Encourage desired solar development by including it in regulatory <br />incentives: density bonuses, parking standards, flexible zoning standards, financing/grant programs, <br />promotional efforts. <br />Different Community Types and Settings <br />The model ordinance language addresses land use concerns for both <br />urban and rural areas, and thus not all the provisions may be appropriate <br />for every community. Issues of solar access and nuisances associated <br />with small or accessory use solar energy systems are of less consequence <br />in rural areas, where lot sizes are almost always greater than one acre. <br />Large-scale and community- scale solar (principal solar land uses) are <br />much more likely to be proposed in rural areas rather than developed <br />cities. However, urban areas should consider where community- or <br />large-scale solar can add value to the community and enable economic <br />development of a valuable local resource. Rural communities should <br />address rooftop and accessory ground-mount development, although <br />the standards used in this model are designed more for the urban <br />circumstances. <br />This ordinance includes language addressing solar energy as an accessory <br />use to the primary residential or commercial use in an urban area and language for principal solar uses more <br />typically seen in rural communities. Communities should address both types of solar development. <br />  <br />Solar development is not one thing <br />Communities would not apply the same <br />development and land use standards <br />to an industrial facility and a single <br />family home, merely because both are <br />buildings. Community and large-scale <br />solar development is a completely <br />different land use than rooftop or <br />backyard solar. Standards that are <br />appropriate for large-scale solar may <br />well be wholly inappropriate for rooftop <br />solar and may unnecessarily restrict or <br />stymie solar development opportunities <br />of homes and business owners.