09.17.26 Battery Energy Storage Systems Webinar Opens Eyes

I almost skipped the webinar last night. I'm still recovering from a bad case of food poisoning and the easy chair was looking better than watching an hour-long webinar. I am so grateful that I decided to tune in.

The webinar was led by three County employees:

Diana Gonzalez, Facilitator | Chen Levy, Long-range Planning Division of Planning & Development Services | Mayu Tanaka, Senior Planner for Planning & Development Services

Here's the presentation in a nutshell. Pretty much the standard presentation.

Click on images to enlarge

I was happy to see that four of the fifteen Sweetwater Community Planning Group members were listening in. Harriet Taylor, John Taylor, Felix Maximus (Felix) and Penni Neely were present with Felix and Penni each asking a question.

Many of the big guns showed up and the questions and conversation jumped to another level, people studying BESS and calling out the concerns in detail.

Jeff Osborne noted that whether you have one or fifty containers, they all burn until they are burned out. Does everything go through a public review? Regardless of the tier (size), will a plume study be required for public statement? (A battery energy storage system (BESS) plume study is a specialized safety analysis that models the movement, concentration, and toxicity of gases and smoke released during a battery fire.)

Mary Davis stated that the plume would fall over the Loveland Reservoir (drinking water) and that there is only one way in and out of Alpine. She recommended that the Fire Severity Maps be studied and requested two points of egress be required at each zoning site. She also stated that a dedicated Fire Department should be created for each site and a dedicated mitigation fund be created for the unincorporated areas with the County setting aside $50Million to fund it. It should be a County fund rather than a non-profit that folds at the first sight of smoke.

Jill Hornick pointed out that there is no real water source in unincorporated areas, and definitely no fire hydrants for a fire department to use. She said the County needed to install water tanks, holding enough water to save the communities if a fire breaks out from the BESS site. She said privately manned fire departments should be appointed for each BESS site, especially 3 tier sites. You can't have a fire department trying to decide whether to cool the batteries or save homes. They don't have the resources to do both. A private fire department for each site is needed. Currently, the County is recommending the use of an alarm and that won't suffice. Also, has the County considered limiting the number of BESS sites per community? BESS site fires cannot be extinguished with water, they use pink foam. What effects can that cause? Health risks? Does the chemical have a lasting effect on the ground or contamination of water wells? A Clustering requirement should be in place and a wildlife corridor established.

Becca Berggren told the group about the Board of Supervisors approving the Starlight Batteries yesterday. There are seven homes in that area.

Peggy Pearce wanted to know how far apart the locations will be. It's not addressed in the current ordinance.

I am happy that these people are involved and acting as watchdogs. But we ALL need to be involved.

Here is the Project timeline:

Here are some QR Codes and websites to get more information. There's a phone number if you'd like to discuss this with or ask questions of the County.

You'll want to read the next article in Sunnyside Common Sense today, with some Best-Practice Recommendations written by Mary Davis . . . an excellent piece on the Battery Energy Storage Systems concerns.