By Hank Russell
Brookhaven Town residents converged at the Shea Theater at Suffolk County Community College in Selden to learn about battery energy storage systems (BESS) and how they have an impact on the community. Town Supervisor Dan Panico moderated a panel discussion comprised of energy experts, first responders, scientists and organized labor.
Panico said the purpose of the forum was to educate those in attendance about BESS. “There has been a rampant spread of misinformation,” he said. “That’s very hard to counter.” He said this “objective panel” would help dispel the rumors.
Camille Warner, project manager of NYSERDA’s (New York State Energy Research & Development Agency) Clean Energy Siting Team, pointed out that energy storage is critical for enabling the state’s clean energy future. Among the benefits of BESS are that there are no carbon emissions and it reduces the impact of outages.
Warner said BESS can make up a variety of different electrochemical makeups such as lithium ion, lead acid, nickel-based and flow batteries. Of all the makeups, lithium ion is most preferred because “the upfront cost is low and it takes up a smaller space,” she said.
BESS, Warner said, is also more efficient than a gas peaker plant. “It’s more resilient … and it saves money,” she said. “It avoids having to use a very expensive peaker plant.” Further, BESS can act as supply or demand, dispatch energy in a matter of seconds, not minutes and has no costs or direct emissions associated with it.
Paul Rogers of the Energy Safety Response Group says there are “a lot of misconceptions” about storage systems. He said that all storage systems must meet “the gold standard” in fire prevention — National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855. “We go beyond the gold standard,” Rogers said of his products.
The systems also go under a rigorous test from Underwriter Laboratories. “It’s a very expensive test,” Rogers said. “They will try to fail the container. They will simulate a worst-case scenario. … The goal is to limit the spread of failure.” In addition, the products undergo a peer review. “It’s no longer optional, it’s mandatory,” he said. “You have two separate sets of eyes looking at it. They also conduct walk-throughs with firefighting personnel.
After the presentation, Panico read off questions that were submitted online and beforehand. “We changed the format because we tried other formats and it devolved into a simple lack of civility and nothing got finished,” he said.
One of the questions concerned the possibility of chemicals leaking from the BESS and how dangerous it could be. “Exposure to any chemical at any level is dangerous,” Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal Christopher Mehrman said. When asked if it could cause cancer, Mehrman replied, “There is no guarantee of anything, but there are studies that there is no evidence [BESS] cause cancer.”
The panel was asked why would these BESS be placed near residential areas and not in the East End. Deputy town Attorney Beth Reilly said parts of eastern Brookhaven, like the Pine Barrens, are not zoned for BESS. Panico said the application process for BESS is different from other development projects.
Mehrman said the BESS applicant would need to submit an emergency response plan to him. “Once they come to us, they will have to reach out to the community and the school districts,” he explained.
Another question was whether the BESS applicant will pay taxes on the property. Panico said yes. “They would pay their taxes just like any other development would.”