2014-05-27_PWETC_Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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If the plan got approval, Ms. Wertz questioned if the City of Roseville would then be more apt to get solar energy in place and installed, as it wasn't applying for grant funds, but doing it in a different venue. Mr. Schwartz responded that he found the community solar gardens a more attractive option than the previous solar awards program, with the City not eventually owning the system, providing an opportunity to have a private operator in the business of producing power or owning the system(s). Mr. Schwartz stated that he saw the City as a franchise holder in that scenario, collecting rent, with the array located on the roof of a City facility, but not owning or operating the system, and serving as more of a facilitator than a power producer. Ms. McKeown noted that, if the City didn't own the array, it could still tap into some portion of it for its electricity, as long as it didn't own the entire array, and only hosted it, usually with a host least payment with developers. Chair Stenlund encouraged residents to let the City Council know of the community's interest in this concept before or at the June 23, 2014 meeting. Chair Stenlund sought additional information from Ms. McKeown and or Mr. Schwartz and staff going forward: 1) Example scenarios for what it would take for the City to move forward, since nothing was listed out at this time, but what options were available for the PWETC to make an informed recommendation to the City Council, with those tracks written out; including what other communities had done to-date. 2) Model ordinances to review and recommend that would allow private developers to do this versus current roadblocks to prevent them from doing so, and draft ordinance language to eventually recommend to the City Council. Chair Stenlund suggested consideration be given to streamlining current ordinances versus rewriting them in their entirety. 3) A financial analysis outlining the payback period versus depreciation, as the City represents the community, and how to make this beneficial to the community and its residents in a realistic manner to not necessarily profit from the opportunity as much as to address sustainability and renewable resource considerations. Chair Stenlund asked that staff provide that information to the PWETC at their earliest convenience to inform further discussion before making a recommendation to the City Council in a timely manner. In response to item 1), since no one had yet completed the process, Ms. McKeown clarified that it would be difficult to provide specific tracks of options for cities, as nothing had been laid out yet; but offered to consult with her contacts and work with staff on potential scenarios. Chair Stenlund supported that methodology, to provide a few pathways to move forward, understanding that the majority of it was based on guesswork at this time Page 12 of 20