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ROH - 04/04/11 <br />RESOLUTION NO. 2011-Q21 <br />A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF <br />SANTA ANA AUTHORIZING A TWO-YEAR <br />CONTINUANCE OF A PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE <br />SOLAR INSTALLATIONS BY TEMPORARILY WAIVING <br />PERMITTING FEES <br />BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines <br />and declares as follows: <br />A. On May 5, 2008, the City Council adopted atwo-year solar permit fee <br />waiver program to encourage solar insfafJfa~tions for both residential and <br />commercial properties Citywide. The program's initial adoption resulted <br />from discussions with the City Council Development Committee and a <br />desire to broaden the City's environmental agenda. By all accounts the <br />program has been successful over the past two years in incentivizing solar <br />installations and should be renewed in order to continue supporting the <br />City's goals with respect to the environment and sustainability. <br />B. The two primary uses of solar energy include using the sun to heat water <br />and/or to generate electricity. Both rely on widely tested and proven <br />technologies. However, their application has in the past been limited by <br />the high acquisition/construction costs compared to potential cost savings. <br />This dynamic continues to shift, however, given the ever increasing cost of <br />energy as well as various programs offered by both the State and local <br />utility companies incentivizing solar installations. <br />C. Prior to the adoption of the solar,permit~fiee~waiver, the city processed <br />relatively few solar energy projects (less than five projects per year). This <br />number has increased substantially, and in 2010, the City processed over <br />40 solar permit applications, a 227 percent increase from 2009. This <br />increase is consistent with growth in solar projects statewide as California <br />leads the nation in solar installations with' nearly 77,000 installations <br />generating 779 megawatts. <br />D. The City's review of solar energy projects involves both plan check and <br />inspection services. The amount of time required for these reviews <br />depends primarily on the size and complexity of the solar installation. A <br />thorough review and analysis of the type of solar installation requests <br />received over the past two years indicates that the vast majority of solar <br />installations in Santa Ana are for single-family residences. Based on this <br />.. ~t~esai~ticari Als: 2011-~2~% <br />.. _ .. _ P'agE~ 1 Sri 3 <br />