As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
FLUSH-MOUNTED SOLAR PANEL
A photovoltaic panel or tile that is installed flush to the
surface of a roof and which cannot be angled or raised.
FREESTANDING OR GROUND-MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY COLLECTOR
A solar energy system that is directly installed in the ground
and is not attached or affixed to an existing structure. Pole-mounted
solar energy systems shall be considered freestanding or ground-mounted
solar energy systems for purposes of this chapter.
LARGE-SCALE SOLAR COLLECTION SYSTEM OR SOLAR FARM
An area of land with solar facilities principally used to
capture solar energy and convert it to electrical energy to transfer
to the public electric grid in order to sell electricity to or receive
a credit from a public utility entity, but also may be for on-site
use. Solar facilities consist of one or more freestanding ground-
or roof-mounted solar collector devices, solar-related equipment and
other accessory structures and buildings, including light reflectors,
concentrators, heat exchangers, substations, electrical infrastructure,
transmission lines and other appurtenant structures and facilities.
PASSIVE SOLAR COLLECTOR
A solar energy system that relies upon original or retrofitted
design features and building materials of a structure to enhance the
use of natural forces to provide heating and cooling within a building.
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) COLLECTOR
A solar energy system that produces electricity by the use
of semiconductor devices, called "photovoltaic cells," which generate
electricity whenever light strikes them.
QUALIFIED SOLAR INSTALLER
A person who has skills and knowledge related to the construction
and operation of solar electrical equipment and installations and
has received safety training on the hazards involved. Persons who
are on the list of eligible photovoltaic installers maintained by
the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
or who are certified as a solar installer by the North American Board
of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), shall be deemed to be
qualified solar installers for the purposes of this definition. Persons
who are not on NYSERDA's list of eligible installers or NABCEP's list
of certified installers may be deemed to be qualified solar installers
if the Building Inspector or such other City officer or employee as
the City Council designates determines such persons have had adequate
training to determine the degree and extent of the hazard and the
personal protective equipment and job planning necessary to perform
the installation safely. Such training shall include the proper use
of special precautionary techniques and personal protective equipment,
as well as the skills and techniques necessary to distinguish exposed
energized parts from other parts of electrical equipment and to determine
the nominal voltage of exposed live parts.
ROOFTOP OR BUILDING-MOUNTED SOLAR COLLECTOR
A solar system in which solar panels are mounted on top of
the structure of a roof either as a flush-mounted system or as a module
fixed to frames which can be tilted toward the south at an optimal
angle.
SOLAR ACCESS
Space open to the sun and clear of overhangs or shade, including
the orientation of streets and lots to the sun so as to permit the
use of active and/or passive solar energy systems on individual properties.
SOLAR COLLECTOR
A device or combination of devices which relies upon solar
radiation as an energy source and that is employed for the purposes
of heating or cooling a building, the heating of water or the generation
of electricity. For the purposes of this chapter, a solar collector
does not include any solar energy system of four square feet in size
or less.
SOLAR ENERGY EQUIPMENT
Solar collectors, controls, energy storage devices, heat
pumps, heat exchangers, batteries and other materials, hardware or
equipment necessary to the process by which solar radiation is collected,
converted into another form of energy, stored, protected from unnecessary
dissipation and distributed.