HADLEY — A battery storage project proposed for a Breckenridge Road gravel pit is raising public safety concerns for town planners, even as the municipal board brings forward revisions to Hadley’s solar energy bylaw that would explicitly allow such standalone systems.

At two public hearings last Tuesday, the first for the 5-megawatt project submitted by Zero-Point Development of Worcester and the second for an amended town bylaw coming before voters at the May 2 annual Town Meeting, Planning Board members expressed worry about how battery storage systems might impact the health and well-being of residents.

Under current zoning, the Planning Board would have to reject the standalone battery project, since batteries are allowed only when connected to a solar project. But recent state attorney general opinions regarding communities that have blanket prohibitions on battery storage projects, have indicated the town could be at risk of a lawsuit.

The amended solar energy bylaw, as drafted, would still require special permits and site plan reviews for all renewable energy projects, but would allow standalone batteries, though these could still be banned in the commercial zone and aquifer areas.

“I’m not inclined to put our aquifer at risk, no matter how low that risk is,” said Planning Board member Mark Dunn.

“You damage the aquifer, that’s major problems,” said Chairman James Maksimoski said.

Planners observed that 40 years ago, Whately had residential wells contaminated by pesticides ethylene dibromide and Temik, and leaks from lithium ion phosphate batteries and chemicals used to keep them cool could cause similar problems.

“We don’t want another Love Canal here,” said member Michael Sarsynski, referencing the Niagara Falls neighborhood devastated by toxic chemicals in the 1970s.

Planning Board Clerk William Dwyer said the idea of the current renewable energy bylaw is to benefit landowners, including farmers.

“Part of the thought of including the agricultural/ residential district is we wanted to provide an extra revenue source for farmers, because that’s where they are,” Dwyer said. “We wanted to open up opportunity to local landowners, if they wanted to grow solar rather than onions this year, God bless, let them do it.”

The hearing on the amended bylaw followed a presentation by Tom Corbett, a representative for Zero-Point, showing revised plans for the battery storage project on Breckenridge Road, next to Zatyrka Park.

Corbett said the purpose of batteries is to backstop the grid by storing green energy from solar, offshore wind and hydro. “The initiative is to store that energy for later use during times of high demand,” Corbett said.

It also will enhance the reliability of electric service provided by renewable sources of power.  “It will enhance the local grid in many ways,” Corbett said.

The battery will be 600 feet from the road at the end of a gravel drive used by Karl’s Excavating and Site Work. Among the features of the containment pads for the battery cabinets will be a polyvinyl membrane, with washed stone on top of that.

Corbett said fire safety with these systems is “through the roof” and few incidents have occurred in the United States.  He explained that the design of cabinets includes a liquid cooling system; smoke, heat and gas alarms; dry pipes with a water deluge system; and a battery management system, monitored around the clock, tracking cell and module temperature and cell and module state of charge. Operators also have the ability to close off parts of the system if they are trending toward failure.

“If it got to the point of where there was a concerning level, it would call an operator, and if a smoke alarm, heat alarm, things of that nature go off, it would call a fire department,” Corbett said.

Maksimoski said the board can’t yet approve the plans because no energy storage bylaw is in place. “If we didn’t hold this public hearing tonight it could be approved by default for lack of action,” Maksimoski said. “By holding the public hearing tonight, we will continue this until after the Town Meeting.”

If the board disapproved the project without the revised bylaw, a lawsuit could come.

“We’re trying to avoid unnecessary costs to the parties involved by having this public hearing tonight and implementing an energy storage bylaw that will be voted on by Town Meeting in May,” Makimsoki said.

Sarsynski said there is no certainty that Hadley won’t face a lawsuit. “I’d rather be sued than put people’s lives in jeopardy,” he said.

“If this gentleman doesn’t sue, someone else will,” Maksimoski said. “We’re the Planning Board, we’re supposed to be planning, not waiting for lawsuits.”

Planning Board member Joseph Zgrodnik said Zero-Point should hire a consultant to provide more information about protection for the aquifer. “Are we capable enough of discerning whether this protection they are offering is sufficient protect our wells?” Zgrodnik said.

Maksimoski flagged an aspect of the battery proposal calling for eight containers each of 43 gallons of an ethylene glycol water mixture as a emergency safety provision as not being allowed.

“I’m going to be very blunt: Ethylene glycol in that volume is not allowed as a cooling medium above the aquifer. It’s not negotiable.” Maksimoski said, explaining that propylene glycol would be permitted.

“When these things explode, we’re not concerned about leakage into aquifer, we’re talking about toxic gases that are very detrimental to human beings and other animal life,” Sarsynksi said.

Two residents spoke of their concerns as well, with the public hearing on the project to continue June 4, and the public hearing on the revised bylaw to also remain open. 

Sean Mackin, who lives near the Breckenridge site, said he worries about the battery storage due to the proximity to residences and the children’s play area at Zatyrka Park.

Tony Fyden of Cold Spring Lane said he is opposed to the revised bylaw, observing that fires and leaks could be catastrophic and there’s evidence that battery storage systems are not safe and put neighborhoods and agricultural land in harm’s way.

“We can say no, and we should say no,” Fyden said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.