By The Associated Press
Increasingly, large arrays of lithium-ion batteries are being connected to the electrical grids around the U.S. to store power that can be discharged during periods of high demand.
However, as more energy storage is added, residents in some places are pushing back due to fears that the systems will catch fire, as a massive facility in California did earlier this year.
Proponents argue that state-of-the-art battery energy storage systems are safe; however, more localities are enacting moratoriums.
“We’re not guinea pigs for anybody … we are not going to experiment, we’re not going to take risk,” said Michael McGinty, the mayor of Island Park, New York, which passed a moratorium in July after a storage system was proposed near the village line.
Michael McGinty, the mayor of Island Park, New York, which passed a moratorium in July after a storage system was proposed near the village line.
At least a few dozen localities around the United States have moved to temporarily block the development of big battery systems in recent years.
Long Island, where the power grid could get a boost in the next few years as offshore wind farms come online, has been a hotbed of activism, even drawing attention recently from the Trump administration. Opponents there got a boost in August when Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin visited New York to complain that the state was rushing approvals of sites to meet “delusional” green power goals — a claim state officials deny.
Battery growth spurt
Battery energy storage systems that suck up cheap power during periods of low demand, then discharge it at a profit during periods of high demand, are considered critical with the rise of intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar.
Known by the acronym BESS, the systems can make grids more reliable and have been credited with reducing blackouts. A large battery system might consist of rows of shipping containers in a fenced lot, with the containers holding hundreds of thousands of cells.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please don’t take our word for it. Try it free for a whole month
