Laserfiche WebLink
MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br /> Monday,November 16,2020 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> The representative from All Energy Solar replied that is correct. <br /> Kirchner asked if this could function and provide some power without requiring a variance in going above <br /> the 70%. <br /> The representative from All Energy Solar answered yes,they could reduce panels and offset a smaller <br /> portion of their electricity bill,but the whole rationale is in order for the solar to work for the Applicant, <br /> they'd like a full offset. <br /> Ressler said he believes the homeowner had comments, as well. <br /> Kali Anderson,homeowner at 4760 Bayside Road,noted from a technical standpoint it would absolutely <br /> be feasible to have fewer panels. Their goal was to offset all of their energy usage on an annual basis and <br /> one reason for that is the interconnect process with Wright-Hennepin Co-op is such that this system didn't <br /> necessarily pencil out financially without being able to offset all of their electricity. Ms. Anderson noted <br /> Mr. Buechel had described the logistics and she wants to share why this is important to her family. As <br /> stated,the system has been designed to offset the electricity they anticipate needing on an annual basis. <br /> In her opinion, the production of energy from carbon-free sources is really becoming more and more <br /> important. She thinks the Governor would probably agree, because in March of 2019, the State of <br /> Minnesota announced a goal that 100% of our electricity would come from carbon-free sources. In order <br /> to meet that goal, she said we need to make changes in both how we use and produce electricity. Some of <br /> these changes will probably go unnoticed by all of us; a lot of these changes will come from the electric <br /> companies at the utility scale and we will be none-the-wiser. Some of these changes would be very <br /> visible to homeowners, for example,putting extra insulation in our homes to make our homes more <br /> efficient. One change they are talking about today is such that it would make Ms. Anderson and her <br /> family happy and smile every time they look at these solar panels because they know they are doing <br /> everything in their power to reduce the carbon footprint while teaching their children the importance of <br /> living within earth-means. On a national scale,the push to become carbon-neutral is of course, stemming <br /> from climate change. The international panel on climate change indicated that in order to keep our way <br /> of life approximately similar to today's standards,we need to keep our global temperatures from rising <br /> more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. If we imagine for a moment that we allow our earth's temperature to raise <br /> up to 3 degrees Celsius, the National Audubon Society has estimated that 66%of birds in North America <br /> would become extinct, including up to 50%of raptors. This estimate was only conducted for birds,but <br /> she thinks we can all extrapolate these numbers and imagine the chain effect on the rest of the ecosystem, <br /> including our food production. The National Audubon Society also estimates that if we can keep our <br /> increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius, 75%of these avian species could be saved. In order <br /> for our national energy production to become carbon-neutral by 2050, we would need to develop, <br /> construct, and bring online approximately 1,000 gigawatts of wind, 1,000 gigawatts of solar, and 1,000 <br /> gigawatts of either hydro, nuclear, or another non-carbon energy source. This equates to doubling the <br /> work force in the next fifteen years, and doubling that number again ten years after that by the year 2045. <br /> Those numbers feel a bit staggering to Ms. Anderson. To bring it back to the local level, she realizes the <br /> little tiny system they are talking about here is not even a drop in the bucket when talking about national <br /> needs. However,this is very significant to her family; her son is 4 years old, and her daughter is 2 years <br /> old and they are already asking what power lines are and what they do. They think wind turbines are <br /> really cool and while they haven't had a lot of exposure to solar panels yet, Ms. Anderson has no doubt <br /> that they will be spending hours talking about how they can make energy and how they can give people <br /> the ability to turn lights on in their home. If for no other reason,Ms.Anderson is asking the Planning <br /> Page 3 of 23 <br />