Challenges and Successes on the Path toward a Solar-Powered Community

Solar in Action

Ann Arbor, Michigan Includes case studies on:• AdvocatingforState-LevelPolicyandLegislation• DevelopingVisible,MonitoredDemonstrationProjects• DevelopingaSolarPlantobeAdoptedbytheCityCouncil• UsingaSolarFeasibilityStudyasaTrainingOpportunity• Cost-ConsciousSolarMapping• WorkingwiththeHistoricDistrictCommissionOctober2011

AnnArborwasdesignatedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)asaSolarAmericaCityonJune20,2007.Priortothat,AnnArborhadamodestnumberofinstallationsbymanystandardsandanumberofchallenges.However,thecitywasgainingmomentumfrommunicipalinstallationsandsupportivepoliticalleadership.

At the time of the award, Ann Arbor had:

• Approximately86kilowatts(kW)ofphotovoltaic(PV)and19solarwaterheating(SWH)installations

• Highlyvisiblepublicinstallationswithstrongeducationalcontentavailableinmultiplelocations,includingonthewell-knownLeslieScienceCenter

• Specificgoalsforrenewableenergyandsolarendorsedbythemayor

• Astategovernmentactivelypromotingrenewableenergyandsolarmanufacturing

• Adedicatedcityenergyprogramsmanagerstaffposition

• Alimitednetmeteringprogramthatwasnotastrongincentive—lessthan15%ofknowninstalledsolarsystemswereenrolled.

WhileMichiganisnotknownforitssunshine,AnnArborreceives25%moresunlightthanGermany,aworldleaderinsolarenergyutilization.AnnArborbelievedthatitswell-educatedpopulationcouldbebroughttounderstandthebenefitsandvalueofsolarinMichigan.

Building Partnerships and Setting Goals AnnArborenteredtheSolarAmericaCitiespartnershipwithalimitednumberofexistingmonitoredinstallationsthatprovedsolarcouldworkinMichiganandvisionarypoliticalleadershipwillingtosetloftygoalsforrenewableenergy.Thecitysetagoaltoinstall5,000solarsystemsandobtain20%ofthecity’senergyfromrenewablesourcesby2015.Toachievethesegoals,theAnnArborSolarAmericaCitiespartnershipidentifiedthefollowingactivities:

• DevelopanAnnArborSolarPlantoidentifyandremovebarrierstoincreasedsolarenergyuse

• Improvecityregulationsandbuildingcodestohelpstreamlinetheinstallationofsolarsystems

The“NatureHouse”attheLeslieScienceCenterinAnnArbor,Michigan,whichisanenvironmentallearningcenterforschoolchildren,featuressolarhot-waterpanelsandtwoPVsystemsamongothersolartechnologies.Photo from The City of Ann Arbor, NREL/PIX 09690

Cover photos from Ann Arbor Area CVB

Ann Arbor’s Starting Point

About the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Communities program: TheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)designated13SolarAmericaCitiesin2007andanadditional12citiesin2008todevelopcomprehensiveapproachestourbansolarenergyusethatcanserveasamodelforcitiesaroundthenation.DOErecognized thatcities,ascentersofpopulationandelectricityloads,haveanimportantroletoplayinacceleratingsolarenergyadoption. Asaresultofwidespreadsuccessinthe25SolarAmericaCities,DOEexpandedtheprogramin2010bylaunchinganationaloutreacheffort,theSolarAmericaCommunitiesOutreachPartnership.AstheSolarAmericaCitiesprogramevolvedtoincludethisnewoutreacheffort,theprogramwasrenamedSolarAmericaCommunitiestoreflectDOE’scommitmenttosupporting solarinitiativesinalltypesoflocaljurisdictions,includingcitiesandcounties.VisitSolarAmericaCommunitiesonlineat www.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov.

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3Solar in Action

• Traininstallersandcitystafftoproperlyassesssitesforsolarfeasibilityincludingaccountingforcodeandpermittingissues

• Increasethenumberoflarge-scalesolarinstallationsoncitybuildings,includinghighlyvisiblepublicdemonstrationandeducationalinstallations

• EstablishnewpartnershipswithlocalorganizationsdesignedtoeducatetheAnnArborcommunity.

TheAnnArborSolarAmericaCitiespartnershipisanextensivecollaborationamongnearlytwodozenorganizations.Majorpartnersinclude:

• CityofAnnArborEnergyOffice

• CleanEnergyCoalition

• GreatLakesRenewableEnergyAssociation

• AnnArborHands-OnMuseum.

Otherprogrampartnersincluded:

• TheUniversityofMichigan’sMemorialPhoenix EnergyInstitute

• AnnArborDowntownDevelopmentAuthority

• WashtenawCounty

• DTEEnergy

• StateofMichiganBureauofEnergySystems

• UnitedSolarOvonics.

Accomplishments and HighlightsAnnArborfocuseditseffortsonplanningandchangingpolicyandattitudestowardsolarinthecity.HighlightsofAnnArbor’saccomplishmentsinclude:

• DevelopedaformalSolarPlanacceptedbythecitycouncilthatidentifiedkeystepsandactivitiestobetakenbycity,local,andregionalpartnerstoincreasetheprevalenceofsolarinAnnArbor

AnnArborpromotessolarinthecommunitythroughhighly-visibleinstallationsoncity-ownedfacilities,suchasthis10-kWPVsystemattheFarmers’Market.Photo from The City of Ann Arbor, NREL/PIX 18348

InstalledPVcapacityincreasefromDecember31,2007, toDecember31,2010

Installed PV (kW)

Installed CapacityAnn Arbor

PV Capacity (Residential)PV Capacity (Non-residential)

0

10050

150200250300

2007 2008 2009 2010kW

Year End

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• Installedanew10-kWPVsystemattheFarmers’Marketandassessedfeasibilityatothercityfacilities,whichledtoAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActfundingforadditionalsystems,includingPVandsolarwaterheating.

• Developedasolarmapatrelatively lowcost

• Leveragedcitysolarinstallationsintotrainingopportunitiesforlocalinstallers

• SucceededingettingapprovalforacommercialandaresidentialsolarprojecttogoforwardonhistoricbuildingsandspurredthecreationofasolarsubcommitteeoftheHistoricDistrictCommittee

• Installedmultiplesystemsinlocationsvisibletothepublicwithassociatedperformancemonitoring.

Case Studies: Successes and ChallengesAdvocating for State-level Policy and LegislationTheCityofAnnArborhasbeenaleaderinadvocatingforvariouschangesinstate-levelpolicyandlegislativechanges,mostrecentlyforenactinglegislationtoenablecitiestodevelopPropertyAssessedCleanEnergy(PACE)financingprograms.

Aspartofitsaggressivepolicyagenda,thecityidentifiedaneedforadditionalincentivesandfinancingmechanismstoallowitsresidentstoinstallsolartechnologies.Manyofthe

mostattractivemeansrequiredchangestostatepolicyorlaw,includingtheneedforlegislationthatwouldallowPACE.

WithMichiganabitbehindotherstatesinimplementingPACE,thecityconnectedwithstaffattheGreatLakesEnvironmentalLawCenter(GLELC),whichworkedwiththecityanditspartnerstocraftPACE-enablinglegislationforMichigan.TheadvantageofnotbeingthefirststatetoimplementPACEwasthatGLELCwasabletotakebestpracticesfromotherstates’legislationtocraftastrong,flexibleframeworkforMichigan.

Citystaffthenworkedwithstate-electedofficialstogetthelegislationoutofcommitteeandpassedbytheMichiganHouseofRepresentativesbeforeitstalledoutintheSenateduetooppositionfrombankers.

Intheprocess,citystafflearnedseveralimportantlessonsinrelationtoadvocatingforstate-levelpolicychange.

Severalchallengeswereencountered:

• Thepaceofpoliticaldecision-making

• Thetimeassociatedwithadvocating forpolicy,forexample,preparingto testifyatcommitteehearingsinperson, especiallyifrepresentingoneofonlya fewentitiesthatareactivelypreparingto makeuseoftheproposedpolicy

• Thewidevariationinsupportand oppositiontonewpoliciesfromonestate tothenext.Theabsenceofopposition fromagroupinonestatedoesnot guaranteetheabsenceofoppositionin another

• Theimportanceofmaintainingvision foraprogramdespitefederal-levelissues.

Abalanceofoptimismandrealismisneededinadvocatingforpolicychange.WhilePACEcurrentlyfacesregulatoryuncertaintyatthefederallevel,thecityremainshopefulthatapathforwardwillbeidentifiedthatwillreneweffortsintheMichiganlegislature.

Developing Visible, Monitored Demonstration Projects AnnArborhasundertakenahandfulofcarefullycalculateddemonstrationprojectstoraisepublicawarenessofsolartechnologiesandeducatethepubliconthetechnology,value,andbenefitsofsolarenergy.Animportantelementinraising

TheFullerPoolSunDragonhelpstodrawattentiontooneof AnnArbor’ssolarpoolheatingsystems.Photo from The City of Ann Arbor, NREL/PIX 18350

A balance of optimism and realism is needed in advocating for policy change.

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publicawarenessistheongoingmonitoringanddatacollectionthathappensateachsite.

TheLeslieScienceandNatureCenterisanenvironmentaleducationcenterinAnnArbor.TheCenter’sNatureHousehostsasolarhotwatersystemandtwo2.5-kWPVsystemsfeaturingdifferenttechnologies—cadmiumtellurideandamorphoussilicon.BothPVsystemsfeeddatatothesamePowerDashdataloggingsystem,whichallowsforseveralinterestinguses.

Onegreatfeatureofhavingdataavailableisthatitallowsforeducationalopportunities,suchascomparingsolarinsolationandelectricitygenerationastheseasonschange.AnotherinterestinguseofthedataloggedatLeslieistheabilitytomakeside-by-sidecomparisonsofthetwotechnologies.Finally,itallowsforinvestigationofnoteworthyevents.

Aninterestingexampleofthesebenefitsoccurredwhen,inthemiddleofwinter,onesetofPVpanelswascoveredwithsnowbuttheotherwasavailabletogenerateelectricityduetomelting.Analyzingthedatafromthetwosystems,citystaffwereabletodeterminehowmanysuch“snowadhesion”eventsoccurredoverthelastwinter(two),howlongtheylasted(about4dayseach),andhowmuchpowerthecoveredsystemgeneratedonthosedays(notmuch).

AnnArboralsocollectsdatafroma10-kWamorphoussiliconinstallationatitsfarmers’marketviaSMA’sSunnyWebboxandSunnyPortalsystem.Thetwodatacollectionsystemsbothmakedataavailableonline,butindifferentformats.Usingmultipledatacollectionsystemspresentsachallengeinthatcomparingproductionbetweensystemsrequiresmanualdataanalysis.Citystaffwouldliketobeabletoseeside-by-sidesolardatafromalllocalsolarsystems,butdifferentdataloggerscannottypicallybeintegratedintoonedatacollectionsystemwithoutacustomengineeringsolution.

Developing a Solar Plan to be Adopted by the City Council AnnArbordevelopedaSolarPlanforadoptionbythecitycouncilthatoutlinesthestepsthecity,local,andregionalenergypartnerswilltaketoincreasetheamountofsolarinstalledinAnnArbor.

SolarPlandevelopmentbeganbyconductinglocalmarketresearchtoidentifylocalbenefitsofandbarrierstoadoptingsolartechnology.Thiswasfollowedbyanextensiveliteraturereviewofmorethan120documents.Bestpracticeswereidentifiedforeachtopicareaandcomparedtolocalresourcesandpractices.Theplanincludeseightrecommendationsfor thecity:

1.Committoasolarplanimplementationprocess

2.Designmunicipalsolarfinancialincentives

3.Simplifysolarpermitting

4.Advocateforstate-levelpolicychanges

5.Integratesolarintocityinfrastructureandculture

6.Introducesolaraccesslawsandrobustbuildingenergyefficiency

7.Createasolaroutreachcampaign

8.Supportsolarworkforcedevelopmentandgreenjobs.

TwotypesofPVsystemsatAnnArbor’sLeslieScienceCenterenablesnowadhesioncomparisons.Photo from The City of Ann Arbor/NREL PIX 18352

FireStation#1indowntownAnnArborbecamethefirstfirestationinMichigantousesolarhotwaterin2007.Photo from The City of Ann Arbor, NREL/PIX 18349

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Theserecommendationsareintendedtobeusedbyofficialstoreduceanybarrierstosolarenergygrowth,helpcraftsolar-friendlyincentives,andintroduceprogressivesolarpolicies.

TheplanwasendorsedbytheAnnArborEnergyCommissioninJuly2010.Implementationoftheplanbeganshortlyafterward.

Using a Solar Feasibility Study as a Training OpportunityAspartofAnnArbor’sSolarAmericaCitiesproject,cityEnergyOfficeandfieldoperationsstaffvisitedfivemunicipalbuildingstoevaluatetheSWHandPVpotentialofeachfacility.Thestaffwasaccompaniedbyrepresentativesfromitstechnicalassistanceteam,includingrepresentativesfromSandiaNationalLaboratoriesandtheengineeringconsultingfirmCH2MHILL.Theevaluationcriteriaincludedavailableroofarea,roofageandcondition,shadingfactors,electricalinterconnectionaccess,conduitrouting,facilityenergyconsumption,electricalmeterlocation,potentialinverteranddisconnectmountinglocations,structuralroofissues,andpotentialsolarthermalapplications.

ThefeasibilitystudyandassociatedreportserveasaframeworkforevaluatingandreportingonthesolarpotentialofotherfacilitiesintheCityofAnnArbor.WashtenawCountyandtheAnnArborDowntownDevelopmentAuthorityplantoconductsolarfeasibilitystudiesatmore cityfacilities.

Duringthesiteevaluations,theexpertstrainedarepresentativefromRecycleAnnArbor,alocalnonprofitchargedwithpromotinggreenbuildingpracticesinAnnArbor.Therepresentativewastrainedtoconductscopingvisitstootherpotentialsitesinthecity,independentoftheexperts.RecycleAnnArborhasincludedsolarfeasibilitystudiesinsomeofthe100homeenergyauditsthatitconductedwithfundingfromtheMichiganPublicServiceCommission.

RecycleAnnArborleveragedthetrainingintwoways.First,indiscussionsaroundpotential“timeofsale”homeenergyauditanddisclosurerequirements,RecycleAnnArborstaffproposedasolarfeasibilitycomponent,whichultimatelycouldleadtoarequiredsolarfeasibilitystudyforeveryAnnArborhomethatisputupforsale.Second,RecycleAnnArborstaffmembersbecameapartofEnergyWorksMichigan,whichperformssolarfeasibilitystudiesforschoolsacrossthestateaspartofaprogramfundedbyMichiganPublicServiceCommission.

Cost-Conscious Solar MappingAnnArborwasabletodevelopasolarmapofitsownshowingthesolarpotentialofsingle-familyhousesatafractionofthecostsofsolarmapsbeingdeployedinothercities.AgroupofuniversitystudentsworkingwiththeEnHouse(aprogramofRecycleAnnArbordedicatedtofurtheringthecausesofgreenbuilding,energyefficiency,andrenewableenergy)usedaerialphotographstoanalyzethesolarpotentialofsingle-familyhousesinAnnArbor.Theirstudyconcludedthat86%ofthe22,000AnnArborrooftopswouldbefeasiblesitesforsolarhotwaterinstallations.

Byutilizingstudentresources—fundedlargelybytheUniversityofMichigan—thecitywasabletoundertakeaprojectthatcouldcosthundredsofthousandsofdollarsforafractionofthatcost.Thekeyingredientswerehavingboth“leafon”and“leafoff”aerialphotographs;ateamofengineeringstudentstomodelthesolarpotentialofdifferentrooforientations,pitches,andshading;andthestudents’timeto(virtually)walkthroughthecityevaluatinghouses.Whiletheaerialanalysisisnotasubstituteforanon-siteevaluation,ithasbeenavaluabletoolforraisingpublicawareness.

Working with the Historic District Commission AnnArbor,inconjunctionwithXSeedEnergy(aprogramoftheMichiganCleanEnergyCoalition)isworkingtodevelopcommunity-fundedsolarinstallations.Thatprogram’sfirstinstallationisbeingdevelopedforthehistoricMichiganTheaterindowntownAnnArbor.Theprojectwasselectedbasedonthesupportofthetheaterandtheuniquetechnicalandpoliticalchallengesassociatedwiththeproject.

AnnArborhadnotpreviouslyconsideredsolarpanelsonhistoricstructures,sotheteamhopedtousethisprojecttobeginbreakingdownthatbarrier.CityenergystaffandmembersoftheXSeedEnergyboardpresentedtheprojectforapprovaltotheAnnArborHistoricDistrictCommission.

Afterlengthydiscussions,thetheaterproposalandanunrelatedresidentialinstallationwerebothunanimouslyapprovedbythecommission.Animportantpartoftherationaleforapprovingtheinstallationswasthattheyarereversibleandcouldberemovedinthefuturewithoutanypermanentimpacttothestructure.Whiletheseapprovalsdonotguaranteeapprovalforeverysolarprojectthatcomesbeforethecommission,theyestablishimportantprecedentsforwhenthecommissiondoesallowsolarinstallations.

Thecommissionalsodecidedtoformacommitteetostudysolar.Thiscommitteewillhelpmakesurethecommissionisup-to-dateonthetypesofsolarpanelsavailable(differentPVandsolarwaterheatingtechnologies),bestpracticesformountingsystems,andotherrelevantissues.Thiswillallowthecommissiontocontinuetoreviewsolarinstallationsintelligentlyandbalanceaestheticandhistoricpreservationneedswithsustainabilityobjectives.Theseguidelinesshouldlowerthebarriersforfutureapplicants—especiallyresidentialapplicants—inwinningapprovalforsolar,therebyopening upalargepercentageofAnnArborrooftopsforsolarinstallations.

ThemostsignificantchallengefacedduringthisprocesswasthelackofinformationthecommissionhadaboutthebenefitsandthetypesofsolarPVtechnologiesavailable.Oncetheteamhadsufficientlypresentedthesedetailstothecommission,thecommissionwasveryunderstandingandsupportive.

Top Takeaways• Partnershipshavebeen—andwillcontinuetobe—essentialtosuccessinpromotingsolarenergyinAnnArbor.Thevariousstrengthsthatdifferentorganizationsbringtothetablecreateawell-roundedworkinggroupfortasksfromplanningtoimplementation.

• Inparticular,workingwiththeUniversityofMichiganhasbeenextremelyvaluableintermsofprovidingtechnicalresourcesandpeoplepowerthatthecitywouldnototherwisebeabletoafford.

• Perceptionsareessentialindiscussingsolarfeasibility.TheSolarAmericaCitiesprojecthasledmanyofAnnArbor’sauthoritiestorealizethatMichigandoes,infact,haveagoodsolarresource,andthereisstillanopportunitytohelpothersunderstandthatsolarisnotjusta“Southwestthing.”

Next StepsWorkingwiththerecommendationsfromtheAnnArborSolarPlan,thecitywillfocusitseffortsoneducationandoutreach

opportunitiestofinanceand/orprovideincentivestoprivatesectorsolarinstallations.Specificinitiativesinclude:

• Communitysupportedsolar—AnnArborisworkingwiththenonprofitCleanEnergyCoalitiontosupportvisibleinstallationsatlocalbusinessesandnonprofitswithcommunityfinancialsupport.

• Communityoutreach—WithRecoveryActfunds,thecityishiringacommunityenergycoordinator,whowillberesponsibleinpartforhelpingresidents“gosolar.”

• PropertyAssessedCleanEnergy—AnnArborwillcontinuetoworktowardimplementingalocalPACEprogramwithstate-enablinglegislation.

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Additional Resources• AnnArborSolarPlan:

www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/energy/solarcities/Pages/default.aspx

• AnnArborFarmersMarketPVData:http://sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=9553699c-6e19-418c-b505-a0c33ddd83db&splang=en-US

• LeslieNatureHousePVData: http://web1.powerdash.com/das-prod/tabs.php?site=leslie

• HowtoGoSolarinAnnArbor: www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/energy/solarcities/Documents/How%20to%20Go%20Solar%20Guide.pdf

• SiteAssessmentofCityFacilities:www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/energy/solarcities/Documents/AnnArbor_SolarSiteAssessments.pdf

• RecycleAnnArbor: www.recycleannarbor.org/?module=Home

• XSeedEnergy:www.xseedenergy.org

For more city information, contact: AndrewBrix,EnergyProgramsManager,AnnArbor’sEnergyOfficeEmail:energy@a2gov.orgTelephone:734-794-6430 Formoreinformationongoingsolarinyourcommunity,visit Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments at http://solaramericacommunities.energy.gov/resources/guide_for_local_governments/

Formoreinformationonindividualcities’solaractivities,visitwww.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov/solaramericacities/action_areas/

EERE Information Center1-877-EERE-INFO(1-877-337-3463)www.eere.energy.gov/informationcenter

Printedwitharenewable-sourceinkonpapercontainingatleast50%wastepaper,including10%postconsumerwaste.

PreparedbytheNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory(NREL)NRELisanationallaboratoryoftheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyOfficeofEnergyEfficiencyandRenewableEnergyOperatedbytheAllianceforSustainableEnergy,LLC

DOE/GO-102011-3209•October2011

Clockwise from top left: Photovoltaic system in Philadelphia Center City district (photo from Mercury Solar Solutions); rooftop solar electric system at sunset (photo from SunPower, NREL/PIX 15279); Premier Homes development with building-integrated PV roofing, near Sacramento (photo from Premier Homes, NREL/PIX 15610); PV on Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City (photo from Utah Clean Energy); PV on the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (photo from Denver Museum of Nature & Science); and solar parking structure system at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, California (photo from Kyocera Solar, NREL/PIX 09435)

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