9-b 20-1007 Valhalla Ann Arbor Site Plan, Annexation, and Rezoning for City Council Approval - Proposed multiple-family residential project containing 454 units and townhomes with parking located under the buildings and along the private drives. Project includes annexation of parcels from Pittsfield Township and petitioner is requesting a conditional R4E multiple-family zoning designation of this 9.8-acre site, located at 31-163 Valhalla Drive and 2065, 2099 South Main Street.
It's fantastic that the petitioner is going all-electric. My one sustainability concern is about solar panels.The earlier plan included 435,000 KWh photovoltaic capacity per year, providing 12-13% of the project’s electricity needs. I don’t see in today’s staff report that there will be more solar panels. With electric heating and appliances, electricity use will go up. The plan specified 10,000 square feet of vegetated roof area. Green roofs are great; they cool buildings in summer and slow stormwater runoff. But solar panels would make a bigger energy impact. Roughly 568 solar panels, each putting out 265W of power, could fill that same area. Those 150 kW, based on the Michigan average of 4.1 hours of peak sunlight per day, would provide 224,000 KWh of energy annually, increasing the project’s current generating capacity by 52 percent. This will add cost, but little compared to total project cost. And it may be possible to keep some green roofs by putting some panels elsewhere.
It's fantastic that the petitioner is going all-electric. My one sustainability concern is about solar panels.The earlier plan included 435,000 KWh photovoltaic capacity per year, providing 12-13% of the project’s electricity needs. I don’t see in today’s staff report that there will be more solar panels. With electric heating and appliances, electricity use will go up. The plan specified 10,000 square feet of vegetated roof area. Green roofs are great; they cool buildings in summer and slow stormwater runoff. But solar panels would make a bigger energy impact. Roughly 568 solar panels, each putting out 265W of power, could fill that same area. Those 150 kW, based on the Michigan average of 4.1 hours of peak sunlight per day, would provide 224,000 KWh of energy annually, increasing the project’s current generating capacity by 52 percent. This will add cost, but little compared to total project cost. And it may be possible to keep some green roofs by putting some panels elsewhere.