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Battery Energy Storage: Hearing Continued to Next Meeting on June 16
The Public Hearing to consider amending the Zoning Code to allow for and regulate the installation and operation of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the Village was continued until the next meeting on June 16.
The current proposal from Catalyze Tarrytown White Plains Microgrid LLC recommends an overlay zone that would apply to four properties in the Office Building (OB) and Mixed Use (MU) districts. Criteria for inclusion in the Zone include:
- must be at least 4 acres
- must have a minimum setback of 100' to the battery cabinets with the exception of any property that borders I-287
If adopted, the overlay zone would mean that Battery Energy Storage would be a permitted use for properties that meet the criteria, however the Board of Trustees would also have the ability to decide whether the overlay zone actually applies to one of the properties should an applicant come forward, and any Battery Energy Storage applicant would still need to undergo a rigorous environmental review and site plan review process through the Planning Board.
The four properties to which the overlay zone would apply as proposed are:
- 120 White Plains Road
- 200-220 White Plains Road
- 150 White Plains Road
- 303 South Broadway
Background
The Planning Board spent nine months reviewing the Catalyze application. They ultimately issued a Negative Declaration in their environmental review and recommend that the Board adopt the zoning amendment. In the process of review the Planning Board engaged a third party independent consultant to advise, particularly on the numerous safety questions that were raised. The consultant's report can be found in the application package. The Zoning Petition Documents can all be found at this link: Dropbox Link.
Battery Energy Storage Systems enable energy from all sources including renewables like solar and wind to be stored and released when the energy is needed most. To ensure the consistency and reliability of energy supply in the transition to cleaner energy sources with lower carbon emissions, battery energy storage is a key alternative. New York State has set a goal of installing 6,000 megawatts of battery storage capacity by 2030. This installation is a relatively small facility capable of storing up to 5 megawatts of energy. In addition to helping meet state goals, the Planning Board found that support for Battery Energy Storage Systems is consistent with the Tarrytown Comprehensive Plan.
Public Hearing Questions and Answers
At the first night of the public hearing on 6/2, the Board received comments both in support of and against the establishment of the Battery Energy Storage Regulations and the potential proposed installation. The video of the public hearing can be found here and runs from 18:40 to 2:10:39.
The following are some concerns that were expressed about the safety of the proposed installation and relevant information from the Planning Board's Environmental Review and the findings from the third party consultant, Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG). The full documents are published in the applicant's package which can be found here.
Concerns about potential fire emergencies, particularly in light of other BESS fires in New York and elsewhere:
There were three fires at battery energy storage systems in New York in 2023, which prompted the New York State Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group to conduct an investigation into the causes and to draft updated fire codes pertaining to battery energy storage systems. The draft recommendations are nearing adoption, and the proposed BESS system in Tarrytown meets or exceeds the updated draft codes in anticipation of their adoption. The initial investigation indicated that there were no reported injuries and " there is no evidence of significant off-site migration of contaminants associated with the fires."
The batteries proposed for the BESS facility in Tarrytown are Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) as opposed to the Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries used in the facilities that caught on fire. LFP batteries have a lower risk of overheating and thermal runaway due to their lower energy density. BESS systems like the one proposed for Tarrytown have been installed in about 2,000 locations in the last two years and have not experienced a single fire incident outside of the fire testing facility, based on information from the applicant.
This is a summary from the third party Fire Protection Engineering Analysis of the Tesla Megapack 2XL BESS that was conducted by Fisher Engineering, as quoted in the Planning Board's Environmental Review (page 68 in the applicant package):
"The performance criteria outlined for outdoor, ground-mounted BESS were all met during the unit level test. No flaming was observed outside of the unit. Surface temperatures of battery modules within the target MP2 cabinets adjacent to the initiating MP2 cabinet did not exceed the temperature at which thermally initiated cell venting occurs. Explosion hazards, including but not limited to, observations of a deflagration, projectiles, flying debris, detonation, or other explosive discharge of gases were not observed. Unit level fire testing of the MP2 demonstrated that an internal failure event causing testing of the MP2 demonstrated that an internal failure event causing thermal runaway of six cells nearly simultaneously will not propagate thermal runaway throughout the battery module. The nearly simultaneous failure testing resulted in thermal runaway propagating only to one additional cell and no further....Based on a review of the MP2XL, its fire safety features, and the UL 9540A unit level fire test results, the MP2XL meets or exceeds all the performance criteria of UL 9540A MP2XL and can meet or exceed all the installation level codes and standards required for outdoor, ground mounted BESS installations when installed in accordance with the MP2XL DIM."
Concerns about impact during emergency response
The following information about fire monitoring and emergency response is from the Planning Board's recommendation to the Board of Trustees (page 14 of the applicant package):
The ESRG Report indicates that the proposed BESS facility exceeds compliance by proposing to adhere to the proposed draft code language developed by the NYS Inter-Agency Working Group. The applicant is proposing to provide external automatic radiant energy sensing Fire Alarm and Detection, has developed a site-specific Emergency Response Plan, and will utilize Subject Matter Experts who can be immediately available (via phone) to the first responders for guidance, and available on-site within 4 hours in the event of an emergency...The NYS 2020 Uniform Code ensures that BESS systems are equipped with sophisticated Battery Management Systems (BMS). A BMS constantly monitors the system (down to the cell level) to ensure normal operating parameters. In the event of an incident, a BMS will notify key personnel and can even trigger HVAC or hazard mitigation systems. In addition, firefighters and responders are trained in how to manage overheating, fires, and electrical hazards. System‐specific training and incident response plans will also be provided by project developers as part of the permitting process.
Concerns about toxic fumes:
The proposed BESS system, Tesla Megapack 2/XL was tested by Fisher Engineering for fire safety. As stated in the Planning Board's Environmental Review document (page 16 of the applicant package), and backed up by the Fisher Engineering report submitted to the Planning Board, "The FPE analysis and testing found that on the cell and module level testing demonstrated that the venting and combustion of the MP2XL cells release flammable gases that are commonly detected in a vented lithium-ion cell; however, they do not release toxic gases sometimes associated with the failure of lithium-ion batteries."
Concerns about runoff into a nearby stream in the case of a fire emergency:
From Planning Board Environmental Review Document (page 61 of applicant package)
"The distance from the closest battery enclosure to the center of the steam bed is 400 feet. The BESS system has no free liquid electrolyte to "leak", and that Applicant uses a crushed stone covering over the project area with deep crushed stone drywells under the foundations, such that no water falls onto the battery enclosure or the project are and flows across the parking lot. It is all retained on the Project site in drywells, is filtered, and eventually infiltrates away." In response to concerns expressed by the Planning Board, the applicant also added a monitoring well which will allow the Applicant to take samples of ground water, with annual reports reviewed by a third party and all paid for by the applicant to be submitted annually to the Planning Board.
The presentation from the April 23 Work Session can be viewed here. The presentation and public hearing from June 2 can be viewed here. The full application packet can be found online here.
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