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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,January 26, 2015 <br /> Page 20 <br /> Beyond those options and for future consideration, Mr. Culver noted that the other <br /> component of solar power was whether or not a community solar garden was via- <br /> ble as a future and separate component, with individuals allowed the opportunity <br /> to purchase shares of the overall system, with individuals then receiving a credit <br /> on their electric bill for the share of power generated. Under this system, Mr. <br /> Culver advised that there would be administrative costs, tax reporting required, <br /> and management of shares that would add some cost to the overall system, which <br /> staff and the PWETC were still investigating before making a recommendation to <br /> the City Council. Mr. Culver noted that there were pros and cons to consider, and <br /> additional consultations with various organizations to determine if this was a via- <br /> ble option to offer Roseville residents. <br /> Mr. Culver advised that, at this time, the PWETC's recommendations were pro- <br /> vided on lines 36 — 42 of the RCA to provide the most cost-effective method. <br /> Based on that recommendation, Mr. Culver noted that two proposals had been re- <br /> ceived as detailed in lines 57—60 of the RCA, with staff recommending TruNorth <br /> and combining the SPPA loan with a third party power purchase agreement as <br /> outlined in the RCA. Mr. Culver advised that the recommendation was to consid- <br /> er the fire hall and City Hall roofs, with two Made in Minnesota, reserving the <br /> larger roof space for a potential 100 Kw system. Mr. Culver clarified the options <br /> available for additional City savings under the TruNorth proposal; displaying total <br /> savings available. <br /> Councilmember Laliberte asked if staff was aware of any other communities do- <br /> ing private/public partnerships that would address administrative cost concerns. <br /> Public Works Director Duane Schwartz advised that staff was hearing from other <br /> communities that with this type of program and a guaranteed energy savings, it <br /> was beneficial to have a third party as a partner so they took on the risk and guar- <br /> anteed the performance of the system. Mr. Schwartz opined that the cost in staff <br /> time and money should be minimal under that third party arrangement. <br /> Mayor Roe clarified that costs for a community solar garden and associated shares <br /> and costs would be handled by a third party. <br /> Mr. Culver advised that this was the part staff was seeking to gather additional in- <br /> formation on, to research the true costs for third party administration of the sys- <br /> tem, and at what point it made sense. <br /> Councilmember Laliberte noted that the Fire Department used the fire station roof <br /> for training purpose, and questioned impacts with a solar installation, especially <br /> given the significant investment in that station and impacts to firefighter safety <br /> and ability to use that training area. <br />