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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, March 23, 2015 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 7 of 18 (6. #14-3700 CITY OF ORONO – AMEND CITY CODE SECTION 78-1379, SMALL WIND CONVERSION SYSTEMS (WECS) SECOND REVIEW continued) Gaffron indicated Exhibit C includes a variety of materials with regard to the analysis of shadow flicker. A sample shadow flicker assessment is included in the Council’s packet that was completed by a Minneapolis firm in Goodhue County. There are a variety of software programs that analyze shadow flicker based on inputs of information related to the WECS and its surroundings, such as size and height of the tower, the nature and diameter of the turbine blades, and the angles between the WECS system and neighboring properties. Typically the report will talk about the number of hours of flicker neighboring properties with experience each year. It appears that shadow flicker analyses for large systems, such as wind farms or energy parks, are relatively common, but for small individual systems, such studies are not so common and it is unclear whether software packages can be geared toward small turbines and/or those not using a standard horizontal blade system. No local cost data has been found by Staff as of yet, but there is a firm in Michigan that will do wind assessments as well as shadow flicker analysis for smaller individual systems. A widely adopted standard for shadow flicker comes from Germany, and the maximum impacts allowed are 30 hours per year of flickering under the worst case scenario, 30 minutes maximum on the worst day of the year, and real shadow impact limited to eight hours per year. Gaffron stated it may be difficult to some extent for a person to locate a firm that will actually do that analysis in this area but that it is his belief the firms selling the WECS system may be able to provide that analysis. The Council indicated they were more comfortable with shadow flicker text options 1 or 3, which state that there must be no shadow flicker rather than some limits time of shadow flicker. The Council also requested the draft be revised to allow electricity to be distributed from a SWECS to the utility power grid. Gaffron displayed a map of the commercial/industrial districts that is located on either side of Highway 12. In each case, the blue shows the area that would meet the 100-foot setback. In all but one case the properties do not meet the 10-acre minimum. The only property that meets the 10-acre requirement is the Morrie’s site, which is roughly 23 acres. The other lots generally tend to be less than five acres. Gaffron noted he did not look at Navarre since the entire Navarre commercial district is within the Shoreland where SWECS would not be allowed. McMillan asked about the school zone. Gaffron stated that is located in a 2-acre residential zone, with a conditional use permit being granted to allow the school use. McMillan asked if that is something that should perhaps be changed in the Comprehensive Plan. Gaffron indicated the Comprehensive Plan could contain an institutional category, which would typically include churches, government buildings, and schools. McMillan stated a school may want to install a wind turbine. Item #03 - CC Agenda - 04/13/2015 Approval of Council Minutes 03/23/15 [Page 7 of 18]