18.30.040 Section 141.2 (Nonresidential Photovoltaic System Required) of the California Energy Code added.
A. Section 141.2 is added to read as follows:
141.2 Additions, alterations and repairs—nonresidential photovoltaic system required.
Additions to existing nonresidential and hotel/motel buildings where the total roof area is increased by at least 2,000 square feet, and alterations to existing nonresidential and hotel/motel buildings with a permit valuation of at least $1,000,000 that affect at least 75 percent of the gross floor area shall also comply with the requirements of Section 141.2.1 or 141.2.2.
The required installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system shall be sized according to one of the following methods:
1. Based on gross floor area.
a. Buildings with greater than or equal to 10,000 square feet of gross floor area shall install a minimum PV system sized at 15 kilowatts direct current (kWdc) per 10,000 square feet of gross floor area.
PV system size = 15 kWdc X Building Size Factor, where the Building Size Factor (BSF) shall equal gross floor area / 10,000 sq. ft., rounded to the nearest tenth. The resulting
product shall then be rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, a 126,800 square foot building shall require a minimum 191 kilowatt (kWdc) PV system, as follows:
PV system size = 15 kWdc X BSF, where BSF = 126,800 s.f. / 10,000 s.f. => 12.7 (rounded)
15 kWdc X 12.7 => 191 kWdc (rounded))
b. Buildings under 10,000 square feet of gross floor area shall install a minimum 5 kilowatt (kWdc) PV system. Applicants are encouraged to right-size the PV system based on the building’s electrical demand to improve the system’s cost effectiveness.
2. Based on Time Dependent Valuation (TDV). Install a solar PV system that will offset 80 percent of the building’s TDV energy on an annual basis. The system sizing requirement shall be based upon total building TDV energy use including both conditioned and unconditioned space and calculated using modeling software or other methods approved by the building official.
Exceptions:
a. The building official may waive or reduce, by the maximum extent necessary, the provisions of this Section if the building official determines there are sufficient practical challenges to make satisfaction of the requirements infeasible. Practical challenges may be a result of the building site location, limited rooftop availability, or shading from nearby structures, topography, or vegetation. The applicant is responsible for demonstrating requirement infeasibility when applying for an exemption.
b. The building official may waive or reduce, by the maximum extent necessary, the provisions of this Section if the building official determines the building has satisfied the purpose and intent of this provision through the use of alternate on-site renewable generation systems such as wind energy systems.
(Ord. CS-437 § 13, 2022)