After previously having imposed six-month moratorium on the review and approval of applications and permits for battery energy storage systems (BESS), the Carmel Town Board has now passed a local law that bans large-scale BESS installations while allowing the installation of smaller battery packages used at residences and businesses.
Residents and some elected officials had expressed concerns about a planned BESS on a 94-acre parcel in Putnam County close to the border with Westchester County.
East Point Energy, based in Charlottesville, Virginia, had applied for approval to construct the Union Energy Center on the 94-acre parcel that will have batteries capable of storing electricity until it is needed. The batteries were to feed into the New York State Electric and Gas substation and transmission lines along Miller Road and Union Valley Road in Mahopac. The BESS was to be capable of storing 116 megawatts of electricity, enough to power tens of thousands of homes. A megawatt is one million watts of electricity.
Carmel’s new local law was approved in a unanimous vote by the Town Board. It identified two tiers of battery storage for electricity. A Tier 1 Battery Energy Storage Systems would have an aggregate energy capacity less than or equal to 600 kilowatt hours of electricity. Tier 1 systems are permitted in all of Carmel’s zoning districts under the new law. A kilowatt hour is one thousand watts of electricity used for one hour. Tier 2 Battery Energy Storage Systems would have greater storage capacity than 600 kilowatt hours and are banned in the Town of Carmel.
The new law also detailed what is allowed in the way of charging stations for electric vehicles, both for residential use and commercial use. It also sets standards for installation of solar panels on residential or commercial buildings.
“Solar energy is a renewable and non-polluting energy resource that reduces fossil fuel emissions and reduces a municipality’s energy load,” the new law says. “Energy generated from solar energy systems can be used to offset energy demand on the grid when excess solar power is generated. The use of solar energy systems for the purpose of providing electricity and energy for heating and/or cooling, or any other use needing electric power is a necessary component of the Town of Carmel’s adopted comprehensive plan.”
The new law specifies that a building permit and an electrical permit are required for installation of all battery energy storage systems and that any systems that are permitted to be used in Carmel under the law must meet either Underwriters Laboratories or other accepted standards.
