2014-07-22_PWETC_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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of the building on which the system is mounted or built. Exterior piping for solar hot water systems shall be allowed to extend beyond the perimeter of the building on a side yard exposure. b. Ground -mounted Systems: Ground -mounted solar energy systems shall not extend into the required side- or rear -yard setback when oriented at minimum design tilt. 3. Visibility: Active solar energy systems shall be designed to blend into the architecture of the building or be screened from routine view from public rights-of-way other than alleys. The color of the solar collector is not required to be consistent with other roofing materials. a. Building -integrated Photovoltaic Systems: Building -integrated photovoltaic systems shall be allowed regardless of visibility, provided the building component in which the system is integrated meets all required setback, land use, and performance standards for the district in which the building is located. b. Solar Energy Systems with Mounting Devices: Roof- or ground -mount solar energy systems shall not be restricted if the system is not visible from the closest edge of any public right-of-way other than an alley. Roof -mounted systems that are visible from the nearest edge(s) of the street frontage right(s)-of-way shall be reviewed and approved by Community Development staff to ensure the system meets the wind load standards for the roof and there are not major aesthetic impacts with the system to the surrounding properties. c. Coverage: Roof- or building- mounted systems, excluding building -integrated systems, shall not cover more than 80% of the south -facing or flat roof upon which the panels are mounted, and shall be set back from the roof edge by a minimum of 1 foot. The surface area of pole or ground mount systems shall not exceed half the building footprint of the principal structure. 4. Approved Components: Electric solar energy system components must have a UL listing. 5. Plan Approval Required: All solar energy systems shall require administrative plan approval by the Community Development Department. a. Applications: Plan application for solar energy systems shall be accompanied by scaled horizontal and vertical (elevation) drawings. The drawings must show the location of the system on the building, or on the property for a ground -mount system, including the property lines. b. Pitched -roof -mounted Systems; For all roof -mounted systems other than a flat roof the elevation drawings shall show the highest finished slope of the solar collector and the slope of the finished roof surface on which it is mounted. c. Flat -roof -mounted Systems: For flat -roof applications a drawing shall be submitted showing the distance to the roof edge and any parapets on the building and shall identify the height of the building on the street frontage side, the shortest distance of the system from the street frontage edge of the building, and the highest finished height of the solar collector above the finished surface of the roof. 6. Plan Approvals: Applications that meet the design requirements of this policy shall be granted administrative approval by the Community Development Department and shall not require Planning Commission review. Plan approval does not indicate compliance with Building Code or Electric Code. 7. Compliance with Building Code: All active solar energy systems shall require building permits. 8. Compliance with State Electric Code: All photovoltaic systems shall comply with the Minnesota State Electric Code. 9. Utility Notification: No grid-intertie photovoltaic system shall be installed until evidence has been given to the Community Development Department that the owner has submitted notification to the utility company of the customer's intent to install an interconnected customer -owned generator. Off - grid systems are exempt from this requirement. 1011.11 Additional Standards in All Non-LDR Districts: A. Rooftop Equipment: Rooftop equipment, including structures related to elevators, shall be completely screened from eye level view from contiguous properties and adjacent streets. Such equipment shall be