MAILBAG: Battery storage systems are misunderstood | Opinion | lockportjournal.com

It’s unfortunate that Somerset residents are still skeptical about battery energy storage systems, especially the notion of fire risk (“Concerns on battery storage linger in Somerset,” published Oct. 11). There are 3,000 battery storage systems in the state, many of them on industrial sites to balance power availability for specific companies. There have been only three fires, resulting in no injuries or environmental damage.

New York recently implemented tighter safety standards for these facilities, and updated the fire code applying to them. The frequently misunderstood fact is that battery storage fires are not fought with water. They are contained within cells and burn out on their own. The danger involved is minimal.

If anything, firefighters may have to douse nearby trees and vegetation. Siting battery storage on a brownfield site, this one a former polluting coal-fired power plant, should avoid that risk.

Battery storage provides grid resiliency, saving power for peak times, while reducing pollution and lowering consumers’ electric bills. The grid struggles to handle high-cost peak demand, even though we generate as much energy as we need in total. Battery storage enables us to have energy when we need it. Battery energy storage system companies also supply a steady income stream to towns that funds roads, schools and other services.

It’s important for communities and developers to meet so that town residents understand how battery storage can help their communities, and just how safe they are.

Gov. Kathy Hochul can improve the process of bringing these beneficial battery energy storage systems to towns by moving their permitting to the Office of Renewable Energy. Her 2025 Executive Budget is the way to make this change.

DEBORAH COHEN, Buffalo

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