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MN PUC: The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. <br /> <br />Photovoltaic System: An active solar energy system that converts solar energy directly into electricity. <br /> <br />Roof or Building Mounted Solar Energy System: A solar energy system that is mounted to the roof or building <br />using brackets, stands or other apparatus. <br /> <br />SES: Solar Energy System <br /> <br />Solar Access: A view of the sun, from any point on the collector surface that is not obscured by any vegetation, <br />building, or object located on parcels of land other than the parcel upon which the solar collector is located, between <br />the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM Standard time on any day of the year. <br /> <br />Solar Collector: A device, structure or a part of a device or structure that the principal purpose is to transform solar <br />radiant energy into thermal, mechanical, chemical or electrical energy. <br /> <br />Solar Energy: Radiant energy received from the sun that can be collected in the form of heat or light by a solar <br />collector. <br /> <br />Solar Energy System: An active solar energy system that collects or stores solar energy and transforms solar energy <br />into another form of energy or transfers heat from a collector to another medium using mechanical, electrical, thermal <br />or chemical means. <br /> <br />Solar Farm: A commercial facility that converts sunlight into electricity, whether by photovoltaics (PV), <br />concentrating solar thermal devices (CST), or other conversion technology, for the principal purpose of wholesale <br />sales of generated electricity <br /> <br /> Solar Garden: A community solar energy system. <br /> <br />Solar Hot Water System: A system that includes a solar collector and a heat exchanger that heats or preheats water <br />for building heating systems or other hot water needs. <br /> <br />Solar Site Permit: A land use permit required by the County for the installation of certain solar energy systems <br />regulated by this Ordinance. <br /> <br />C. TYPES OF SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS: This Ordinance identifies and regulates the following four types of solar <br />energy systems: <br /> <br />1. Rooftop or other Architecturally-Integrated Solar Energy Systems <br />2. Ground Mount Solar Energy Systems <br />3. Community Solar Energy Systems (Solar Gardens/CSES) <br />4. Solar Farms <br /> <br />These systems shall be defined and regulated as follows: <br /> <br />1. Rooftop or other Architecturally-Integrated Solar Energy Systems: Systems which are accessory to the <br />principal land use, designed to supply energy for the principal use. Rooftop or other architecturally-integrated systems <br />shall be regulated as follows: <br /> <br />a) Rooftop or other architecturally-integrated systems are permitted accessory uses in all <br /> districts in which buildings and structures are permitted. <br />b) No Solar Site permit is required, but the owner or contractor shall obtain a building permit <br /> before installing a rooftop or other architecturally-integrated solar energy system. <br />d) Commercial rooftop or other architecturally-integrated systems shall be placed on the roof <br /> to limit visibility from the public right-of-way or to blend into the roof design, provided <br /> that minimizing visibility but which still allows the property owner to reasonably capture <br /> solar energy.