§ 103-2. Definitions.  


Latest version.
  • As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
    COLLECTIVE SOLAR
    Solar installations owned collectively through subdivision homeowner associations, college student groups, "adopt-a-solar-panel" programs, or other similar arrangements.
    GROUND-MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM
    A solar energy system that is anchored to the ground, attached to a pole or other mounting system, and detached from any other structure and which produces energy solely for the purpose of on-site consumption.
    LARGE-SCALE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM
    A ground- or rooftop-mounted solar energy system that produces energy primarily for the purpose of off-site sale or consumption.
    NET-METERING
    A billing arrangement that allows solar energy system owners to get credit for excess electricity that they generate and deliver back to the grid so that they only pay for their net electricity usage at the end of the month.
    PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) SYSTEM
    A solar energy system that produces electricity by the use of semiconductor devices called "photovoltaic cells" that generate electricity whenever light strikes them.
    QUALIFIED SOLAR INSTALLER
    A person who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of solar energy systems and installations and has received safety training on the hazards involved. Persons who are on the list of eligible 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 Town Code Enforcement Officer/Building Inspector or such other Town officer or employee as the Town Board 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-MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM
    A solar energy system in which solar collectors/solar panels are mounted on the roof of any legally permitted building either as a flush-mounted system or as modules fixed to frames which can be titled toward the south at an optimal angle.
    SETBACK
    The distance measured from a front lot line, side lot line, or rear lot line of a parcel to the outer leading edge of any portion of a ground-mounted solar energy system.
    SMALL-SCALE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS
    Photovoltaic systems that produce up to 25 kilowatts (kW) of energy or solar thermal systems which serve the building to which they are attached and do not provide energy for any other buildings not located on the same property.
    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 solar photovoltaic cell, panel, or array, or solar hot air or water collector device, which relies upon solar radiation as an energy source for the generation of electricity or transfer of stored heat.
    SOLAR ENERGY EQUIPMENT
    Electrical energy storage devices, material, hardware, utility interconnection, inverters, or other electrical equipment and conduit of photovoltaic devices associated with the production of electrical energy.
    SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM
    An electrical generating system composed of a combination of both solar panels/solar collectors and solar energy equipment. Solar energy systems include solar thermal systems, photovoltaic systems, and concentrated solar. For the purposes of this chapter, this definition does not include any solar energy system of four square feet or less.
    SOLAR PANEL
    A photovoltaic device capable of collecting and converting solar energy into electrical energy.
    SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMS
    Solar energy systems that directly heat water or other liquid using sunlight. The heated liquid is used for such purposes as space heating and cooling, domestic hot water, and heating pool water.
    STATE CODE
    The New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, as amended.