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Article 5: Uses <br />Section 5.9: Standards for Utilities <br />where a solar array is being erected to manage remove or otherwise <br />alter foliage to guarantee solar access to a proposed array. 14 — <br />(b) Capacity. Volume and Area Limits <br />Solar Arrays, whether building or ground mounted shall conform to the <br />following limits:ra <br />(i) Residential <br />a. Have a rated capacity consistent with local utilit <br />providers net metering policy not to exceed 20 kilowatts <br />(for electricity) <br />b. Have a rated storage volume of less than or equal to 240 <br />gallons (for heated water): or <br />c.__ Have a collector area of less than or equal to 1,000 <br />square feet (for thermal), <br />(ii) Non - residential <br />a. Limits shall be based on the average electricity, storage <br />volume, and thermal collector area necessary to support <br />the needs of the proposed facility,fi <br />c) Device(s) shall provide power for the principal use of the property on <br />which it is located and shall not be installed and /or used solely for <br />income generation purposes where power is sold either to a utility <br />provider or other similar third party entity. <br />This provision shall be in no way construed as limiting the ability of the <br />Property owner to: <br />(i) Transfer or sell excessive power generated onsite back to the <br />utility provider or other third party entity or <br />(ii) Receive credit from a local utility provider for the power <br />generated onsite as a means to offset utility bills. 18 <br />(d) The property owner shall provide the Countv with written authorization <br />from the local utility company acknowledging and approving the utility <br />connection. <br />(e) The site plan shall denote the location of any batteries or other similar <br />storage devices onsite. 19 <br />14 Staff added this statement in an effort to address some concern that, by adopting these standards, the County <br />would in effect be proactively requiring adjacent property owners to eliminate foliage in order to ensure access to a <br />solar array. From my standpoint the sole purpose of this amendment is to allow those individuals inclined to erect <br />alternative energy devices on their property an opportunity to do so without necessarily impacting adjacent land <br />owners. <br />15 In development subsection (b) (i) staff reviewed standard utility deals with private citizens on what is typically <br />erected in a residential and non - residential setting. This included reviewing the matter with private citizens who <br />have installed alternative energy devices on their property and a discussion on the typical limitations imposed with <br />respect to the ultimate power generated on -site. <br />16 Amendment to reflect modification of proposed regulation made at the September 5, 2012 Planning Board <br />meeting in green text. Staff concurred with the proposed modification. <br />17 Limits on non- residential capacity were modified to address a Planning Board concern over different uses having <br />different minimum power needs. As a result, capacity will be decided on a case by case basis. <br />" Staff added the regulation to prevent the erection of solar arrays solely for the purpose of income generation, <br />especially on residentially zoned property. <br />19 This provision was added to ensure emergency responders are aware of the location of batteries or other storage <br />devices on -site in the event of an emergency. <br />Orange County, North Carolina – Unified Development Ordinance Page 5 -77 <br />