1. PowerButte: Solar Overlay Tim Snellings, Director Department of Development Services Photo courtesy of Shamim Mohamed A Place For Clean Energy

2. Presentation Overview PowerButte (power.buttecounty.net) 1.PACE programs 2.CAP implementation 3.CCA/CCE 4.Butte County Solar Overlay Project What’s happening out there, around CA? People are getting creative for installation of utility scale solar PV systems…

3. Introduction Photo credit: http://www.dpr.com/projects/butte-college-phase-3-solar-grid Butte College, Butte County, CA – Goal, to be the first Grid Positive College in the USA

4. Introduction PGE 27 MW near city of Lemoore, CA Is this farmland? Is there water? Is the soil marginal? Is this in the Williamson Act?

5. Introduction 88 MW south of Sacramento, CA

6. Lessons Learned – Other Counties  Key public concerns: aesthetics/glare, environmental impacts, agricultural impacts, land use compatibility, property values, obsolescence/disposal  Strategies: site design standards and mitigations, development regulations, education/outreach  Community goals: economy/jobs, setting a good example, energy independence, regulations that mitigate impacts, streamlined permitting benefits

7. Benefits of the Solar Overlay How will the overlay benefit Butte County residents? » Promotes renewable energy alternatives and reduces dependence on fossil fuels » Improves resilience of local electrical grid » Eliminates red tape and cuts costs for solar energy » Plans ahead to avoid impacts from new energy infrastructure » Supports local green jobs » Lowers electricity costs with increased supply (statewide) » Implement the General Plan and CAP, which mandate PowerButte Photos courtesy of Butte College

8. Solar Overlay Policy Background Climate Action Plan Zoning Ordinance General Plan Adopted 2010, updated 2012 Adopted 2012 Adopted 2014 PowerButte Components: » Solar Overlay Zone » Community Choice Energy (CCE) » Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program » Rooftop Solar » CAP monitoring and implementation

9. Public Involvement  Community Workshops  Stakeholder Group  Online input: buttecounty.granicusideas.com  Planning Commission  Board of Supervisors

10. Creating the Vision  Community Workshop #1 Oroville: June 10, 2015 Chico: June 11, 2015 About 50 participants  PowerButte online survey buttecounty.granicusideas.com Over 60 responses to date

11. Draft Vision Butte County is a place for clean, abundant, and renewable energy supported by technological innovation. Energy generated within the county contributes to economic development, environmental protection, reduced dependence on fossil fuels, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Utility-scale solar facility development complements the County’s scenic qualities, avoids impacts to agricultural resources, and is sited and designed in harmony with Butte County’s residential communities and cities.

12. Draft Guiding Principles  Open and Transparent Process  Agriculture  Biological Resources  Scenic Quality  Property Owner Coordination  Local Preferences  Broadly Shared Benefits  Permit Streamlining  Utilities Coordination  Impact Assessment  Residential Neighborhoods  Technological Requirements  Stakeholder Cooperation  Land Use Planning

13. Issues/Challenges/Goals  Truly engage with the public  Issues with neighbors of projects (free/reduced power???)  Loss of property tax dollars to County / evaluation of different strategies to provide longterm funding…we will work with Industry/Solar Association on ideas  How far can we go in pushing the entitlement envelope? Our goal is to complete project level CEQA so only an Administrative Permit/Building Permit is required…

14. PowerButte: Solar Overlay http://power.buttecounty.net tsnellings@buttecounty.net http://power.buttecounty.net Photo courtesy of Shamim Mohamed A Place For Clean Energy