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<br />15 <br /> <br />Solar Access <br />The Metropolitan Land Planning Act requires comprehensive plans for Metropolitan Area <br />communities to contain an element related to the protection and development of access to direct <br />sunlight for solar energy systems. As a result, the following solar resource-related information <br />must be included in Little Canada’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan update: <br />1. A map which illustrates the City’s gross solar potential. <br /> <br />2. A calculation of the City’s solar resources. <br /> <br />3. A policy (or policies) which relate to the development of access to direct sunlight for solar <br />energy systems. <br /> <br />4. Strategies to be applied to implement established solar resource policies. <br /> <br />Solar Potential <br />The following map, provided by the Metropolitan Council, shows the gross solar potential for <br />Little Canada. The map, developed by the University of Minnesota, illustrates annual sun energy <br />dispersed throughout the city with “high end: potential areas shown in yellow, and areas having <br />“low end” in black. This information is useful in predicting the productivity of solar installations. <br />According to the Metropolitan Council, the primary issue in the consideration of solar ener gy <br />installations is intermittent shading due to nearby structures and trees. Areas identified as having <br />“high end” potential in the City are those with very little tree cover. <br />