September 16, 2008
City Council Meeting: September 9, 2008
Agenda Item: 7-F
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jim Hone, Fire Chief
Subject: Adoption of Solar Photovoltaic Installation Standards
Recommended
Action
Staff recommends that the
City Council adopt the attached resolution making findings of local climatic,
geological and topographical conditions as required to adopt local amendments
to the California Building Standards Code, for introduction and first reading the
attached proposed ordinance that establishes standards to ensure public safety
for all structures equipped with solar photovoltaic systems.
Executive
Summary
The Office of the State Fire
Marshal, along with local fire departments and the solar photovoltaic industry,
has developed a guideline for installing solar photovoltaic (“PV”) systems that
adequately provide for fire safety and suppression. The attached proposed ordinance contains no
revisions to the substance of this guideline, but the guideline language has
been modified to pertain specifically to
In addition, the proposed
ordinance would delete an existing section of the Building Code which contains
a previously adopted local amendment to the California Building Code pertaining
to solar PV installations that has been deemed obsolete by Santa Monica
Building Department staff.
There is no immediate impact on
the General Fund associated with this item outside of costs associated with
updating the codes book.
Background
In July 2007 CAL FIRE/Office of the State Fire Marshal established
a Task Force to develop this guideline, working with the California Solar
Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA). Members of local fire service agencies
and the solar PV industry worked together to develop a guideline that would
ensure fire service access to perform rescue and fire suppression operations on
buildings with installed PV systems.
Discussion
Over the last several years, interest in and adoption of renewable
energy strategies and general green building principles has increased
exponentially. New technologies that
address these issues have developed and entered the marketplace more rapidly
than building standards codes are able to adapt. While solar PV technology is by no means new,
the speed with which it is being installed has posed particular challenges for
local jurisdictions unfamiliar with solar.
At the same time, the lack of a unified and consistent approach to
permitting and inspecting solar installations across jurisdictions increases
costs for solar installers and would-be solar owners.
Building Standards
Structural and electrical safety considerations for solar PV
installations are clearly addressed by the California Building Standards Code
(CBSC). In the interest of facilitating
the installation and inspection process, the
Fire Safety Standards
In contrast, heretofore there has been no guidance from the State
as to fire safe solar PV installations.
Approval and jurisdiction has been left up to the local fire
departments, and in most areas, the fire department has not had input into the
approval process for solar PV installations.
Even where fire departments have had input to the process, standards and
requirements vary widely across jurisdictions.
Anecdotal evidence from staff research suggests that such requirements
range from requiring no plan review and only final electrical inspection for
systems under 600 volts to requiring four-foot setbacks from all edges, eaves,
and ridges as well as quick disconnects on the actual solar panels so that they
might be removed in case of a fire.
Recognizing the need for a consistent standard, the Office of the
State Fire Marshal created a Task Force to develop guidelines with the input of
local fire departments and the solar industry.
Santa Monica Fire Department staff were on this Task Force and were instrumental
in reaching a consensus position, balancing fire safety and suppression
concerns with opportunities for clean, distributed renewable energy. The solar photovoltaic installation
guidelines developed by the Task Force establish new regulations in an area of
building standards that state law does not currently address. While the guidelines are intended to be
incorporated into the next version of the California Building Standards Code in
2010, the proposed ordinance would implement the guidelines in
Fire Safety Concerns
Ventilation and roof access are the two primary fire safety
concerns pertaining to solar PV installations.
Firefighters need to have access to key areas of a roof and to be able
to walk a clear pathway on sound structural members. Firefighters also need to be able to vent hot
gases from specific portions of the roof without having to move or cut through
solar panels, a hazard in and of itself.
While no one can predict exactly where a roof will require venting, the
guidelines establish layout and setback requirements for different common roof
types to ensure adequate access and ventilation for most situations.
Solar Industry Concerns
The main concern with setbacks and layout requirements for the
solar industry would be limitation of the available area for solar panels. In many cases, only one roof pitch might be
south-facing and hence appropriate for solar.
If the setbacks are too large, this might preclude many potential solar
PV installations simply to provide an extra measure of protection for the
already unlikely occurrence of a fire.
Furthermore, the concern has been raised that one set of standards for
layout and setbacks cannot adequately address the countless roof shapes and
orientations found in the field.
Proposed Process
The proposed ordinance would implement the criteria set forth in
the guidelines from the State Fire Marshal’s Task Force as requirements in
Section 08.24.080
This Section of the Electrical Code is a local amendment to the
California Building Code which was adopted on October 8, 2002. The section creates an additional requirement
to provide disconnecting means immediately adjacent to the combiner box when
array are combined to create an output of more than 50 volts or 10
amperes. Building Department staff have
determined that this requirement does not necessarily improve safety of solar
PV installations and is not consistent with typical installation practice. Furthermore, although the requirement is
limited to outputs of a certain voltage or current, virtually all PV circuits
would trigger this requirement. It is
proposed that this section be deleted in it’s entirety from the Municipal Code.
Alternatives
Now that the State
Fire Marshal has developed guidelines for fire safe solar PV installations, the
City has an established basis for evaluating solar PV installations. The City could propose and develop its own
fire safe solar guidelines, however this would involve significant duplication
of the State’s efforts, as
Environmental Analysis
The
City’s adoption of local amendments to the California Building Standards Code
is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15061(b)(3) [project is exempt when
it can be determined with certainty that there is no potential for causing a
significant effect on the environment].
The proposed ordinance establishes standards for the design and
construction of solar photovoltaic installations which, in part, incorporate
the most current and applicable seismic attenuation methods and fire life
safety design regulations into the City’s building standards, based on the
unique geological, topographical and climatic conditions of the City (as
detailed in the resolution accompanying the ordinance). The standards are designed to provide
consistent access pathways and ventilation opportunities thereby protecting the
occupants of these structures and the public from safety risks, preventing
damage to the structures, and minimizing the demand on emergency fire services.
Public Outreach
Through the Solar Santa Monica program, the City communicates with
most of the major installers of solar PV installations in the city. This program also coordinates outreach and
education to
Financial Impacts &
Budget Actions
There is no direct budget
nor financial impact to the City of adopting the local amendments to the 2007
California Building Standards Code. As a result of the modified standards for
fire and life safety, the approval of this ordinance may increase costs of
construction of solar photovoltaic installations, but establishing consistent
standards should reduce the costs associated with the permit approval process.
Prepared by:
Brenden McEneaney,
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Approved: |
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Forwarded to Council: |
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Name Jim Hone, Fire Chief |
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P. City Manager |
Attachments: