Orange County NC Website
11 <br /> <br />Commissioner Price referred to the issue of leasing, and asked if the school boards 1 <br />wanted to negotiate a longer lease, do these companies provide upgrades during the lease 2 <br />period. 3 <br />Travis Myren said not to his knowledge. He said leasing becomes an option when you 4 <br />face technology obsolescence. 5 <br />Commissioner Price referred to page 7, “Supplemental Weatherization for Low Income 6 <br />Households-weatherizations up fits,” and asked if staff can provide a list of the funding and what 7 <br />is allowed. 8 <br />Travis Myren said yes. 9 <br />Commissioner Marcoplos pointed out that they are not on the frontier of solar 10 <br />technology, and the information regarding ownership and leasing is readily available. He said it 11 <br />is up to the schools to make that decision, and both districts have experience with solar arrays, 12 <br />so there is little risk. He said leasing is typically much cheaper, and includes maintenance. 13 <br />Commissioner Greene referred to page 8, and the three grant requirements and 14 <br />signage: 15 <br /> 16 <br />1.) That the solar projects maximize the purchase power of the grant funding by 17 <br />considering leasing of the solar panels in the arrangement laid out in 2017 by 18 <br />H.B. 589, and report to the County on the decision that was made to purchase or 19 <br />lease. 20 <br />2.) The grantees must report the total solar energy generated as well as the percent 21 <br />of each facility’s energy use that was served by the solar system. This would 22 <br />provide pressure for continued focus on energy efficiency along with the 23 <br />renewable energy. 24 <br />3.) The grantees must have a monitor showing the live energy performance of their 25 <br />systems in a public location with a sign noting that the system was paid for by 26 <br />proceeds of the Orange County Climate Action Tax. 27 <br /> 28 <br />Commissioner Greene said, in the interest of education, she would want the signage to 29 <br />say more. She said this solar array will reduce carbon emissions, which could be quantified, 30 <br />and the signage could also list the benefits for climate action. 31 <br />Chair Rich said the County is granting the money to the schools, and asked if Orange 32 <br />County has a role thereafter. She said she would like Brennan Bouma, Sustainability Director, 33 <br />to stay involved with these projects to assist the schools in the best way to utilize these funds. 34 <br />Commissioner Bedford agreed with Commissioner Greene’s suggestion about the 35 <br />signage. 36 <br />Commissioner Price read the following from point 10: 37 <br /> 38 <br />Are there any relevant restrictions on solar in our Unified Development 39 <br />Ordinance (UDO)? 40 <br />A third-party review of the solar regulations within Orange County’s UDO was 41 <br />conducted in 2017 when the County was being certified as a SolSmart community at 42 <br />the Silver Level. According to that review at that time, there were several sections 43 <br />that might influence the design, function, and aesthetics of a school solar array 44 <br />depending on its size, type, and location. Orange County Sustainability staff plans to 45 <br />reach out to Planning staff for an updated review during the creation of the County’s 46 <br />climate action plan. 47 <br /> 48 <br />Commissioner Price asked if staff could follow up on this point. She said she had 49 <br />brought this up before. 50 <br />Travis Myren said staff would follow up. 51