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<br />Less permissive option: <br />(2) Small- and medium-scale <br />ground-mounted solar energy <br />systems accessory to a <br />principal use may be located <br />no closer than [twenty (20) <br />feet] from the front, side or <br />rear lot line. All ground- <br />mounted solar energy <br />systems in residential districts <br />shall be installed either in the <br />side yard or rear yard to the <br />extent practicable. <br />(Massachusetts Dept. of <br />Energy Resources, Model <br />Zoning for the Regulation of <br />Solar Energy Systems) <br /> <br />§ <br />152.187(B)( <br />3)(a) <br />Placement <br />of free- <br />standing <br />systems <br />The zoning ordinance <br />limits the installation of <br />free-standing solar <br />energy systems to the <br />rear yard. While this is <br />understandable from <br />an aesthetic <br />perspective, it could <br />limit the number of <br />viable sites for <br />installing solar energy <br />systems. <br />More permissive option: <br />Ground-Mounted Systems <br />shall not be permitted in a <br />front yard unless the <br />applicant demonstrates that <br />the rear yard locations will not <br />result in acceptable solar <br />access. (Renewable Energy <br />Ordinance Framework, <br />DVRPC) <br /> <br />Less permissive option: <br />Current language in § <br />152.187(B)(3)(a) <br />Low (Allowing <br />solar energy to <br />be installed in <br />the side, front, or <br />rear yard would <br />increase the <br />viable sites for <br />solar systems, <br />especially if a <br />rear yard and/or <br />roof is shaded.) <br />§ <br />152.187(B)( <br />3)(b) <br />Freestandi <br />ng solar <br />energy <br />systems <br />The zoning ordinance <br />limits freestanding <br />solar systems to 3% of <br />the lot area. In R-1, R- <br />1A, that would limit <br />freestanding systems <br />to about 5.3 kW in size. <br />Most permissive option: <br />“For purposes of determining <br />compliance with building <br />coverage standards of the <br />applicable zoning district, the <br />total horizontal projection <br />area of all ground-mounted <br />and free-standing solar <br />collectors, including solar <br />photovoltaic cells, panels, <br />arrays, inverters, shall be <br />considered pervious <br />coverage so long as pervious <br />conditions are maintained <br />underneath the solar <br />photovoltaic cells, panels, <br />and arrays.” (Renewable <br />Energy Ordinance <br />Framework, DVRPC) <br /> <br />Less permissive option: <br />“For purposes of determining <br />compliance with building <br />coverage standards of the <br />Low (The <br />existing zoning <br />would limit the <br />size of ground- <br />mounted solar <br />energy systems <br />in the R-1 and R- <br />1A districts to <br />roughly 5 kW. <br />Systems of this <br />size would <br />produce enough <br />energy to cover <br />about half of an <br />average <br />household’s <br />load. Therefore, <br />the existing <br />ordinance <br />language would <br />prohibit larger <br />systems that <br />could offset more <br />of the energy