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6 <br />587 <br />From an engineering standpoint and the PWETC's role, Chair Stenlund expressed <br />588 <br />information from Mr. Ross on anything he was aware of in the market place that <br />589 <br />would indicate improving technologies that would reduce the payback period, and <br />590 <br />how that could be incorporated into the discussion tree (e.g. solar shingles, roads, <br />591 <br />walls, etc.). <br />592 <br />593 <br />Mr. Ross admitted there had been a large social media front for the potential of <br />594 <br />solar roads; however, he opined that technology was very questionable from an <br />595 <br />engineering standpoint as a road surface, and may have a better application for a <br />596 <br />parking area surface. Mr. Ross advised that there had been dissention on whether <br />597 <br />or not those doing the study had focused on southern versus northern states in <br />598 <br />performing their research. Mr. Ross did note that technology is always changing, <br />599 <br />which may significantly change financials in the next few years; however, his <br />600 <br />response was that it was unlikely that those technological advances would change <br />601 <br />the efficiency level for panels, which were the main component in solar systems. <br />602 <br />While the efficiency of panels are low, Mr. Ross opined that obviously the more <br />603 <br />efficient the panel, the more expensive they were, but how that played out in <br />604 <br />manufacturing remained an unknown at this time. In considering how those <br />605 <br />future increased efficiencies of panels or technology versus a set of incentives, <br />606 <br />Mr. Ross opined was another dynamic. Mr. Ross noted there were some new <br />607 <br />products (e.g. solar installation sin walls and windows) that were forthcoming; <br />608 <br />however, with that additional capability, the cost increased while their <br />609 <br />functionality decreased. Mr. Ross opined that the most reliable system remained <br />610 <br />silicone panels. <br />611 <br />612 <br />At the request of Chair Stenlund, Mr. Ross opined that the ordinance he found <br />613 <br />most appropriate at this time, even though he had authored some of them, were <br />614 <br />those for the City of Rosemount as it applied to a specific set of circumstances <br />615 <br />with aggregate resources they wanted to protect through using the interim solar <br />616 <br />use, which had been very creative in that situation. Mr. Ross also recognized the <br />617 <br />Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as they competed to see who could be the most <br />618 <br />welcoming to solar, making some choices that allowed for great flexibility in how <br />619 <br />the systems, mainly residential, are permitted. Mr. Ross noted that those cities <br />620 <br />decided not to apply design standards by exempting them from those <br />621 <br />requirements. Mr. Ross noted that the ordinance also had an incentive built in to <br />622 <br />not allow installation of hideously ugly panels as had been installed in the past. <br />623 <br />624 <br />Mr. Ross noted that those cities continuing to hedge on developing an ordinance <br />625 <br />were not seeing much development accordingly. Mr. Ross advised that one issue <br />626 <br />of concern he found was in the more restrictive design standards of homeowner <br />627 <br />associations compared to other residential properties. <br />628 <br />629 6. <br />GreenStep Inventory <br />630 <br />631 7. <br />Possible Items for Next Meeting — September 23, 2014 <br />Page 14 of 15 <br />