Developer Pitches Battery Energy Storage for Nursery Site in Hawthorne
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
A development company that has built previous large-scale projects in Mount Pleasant last week discussed with town officials the possibility of installing a battery energy storage system (BESS) at the site of an existing nursery.
Acquest Development, based in upstate Williamsville, N.Y., and their consultants pitched the proposal to the Town Board last week to site a BESS at Rosedale Nursery on Route 9A in Hawthorne.
Tim Weber, Acquest Development’s director of development, explained that with the Con Edison transmission lines running through the town and the 11-acre property at 51 Saw Mill River Rd. in close proximity to the lines, it makes sense to site the BESS there. He said Acquest would buy the property from the existing owners.
With greater demand for energy and battery energy storage technology steadily evolving and improving, the project would be an asset to Mount Pleasant because it would generate virtually no traffic or noise and there would be no clearing of brush, Weber added. An existing structure in the floodplain would be removed.
“I think there’s a lot of benefits to the project, but obviously, you want to make sure we’re a resource when it comes to safety,” Weber said. “It’s obviously very, very important.”
Acquest also developed other facilities in Mount Pleasant, including the NYSCO Products building and the Amazon warehouse, both on Route 9A.
Discussion about safety, which has been the primary concern for communities across the region and the state that have been faced with BESS applications, dominated the more than hour-long discussion at last Tuesday’s Town Board work session. One of the consultants, Anthony Natale, a former industrial firefighter and now the director of risk and response for Fire & Risk Alliance, said the facility would be a Tesla Megapack 2 XL large-scale rechargeable lithium-ion battery storage site.
The town is in the midst of a six-month moratorium that the Town Board approved earlier this fall so officials can examine regulations and zoning to help safely site the facilities.
Natale said nearly all fires associated with Tesla battery storage unit is caused by water intrusion. Tesla Energy has been working on sealing off the modules from water and also to prevent spread of the fire from one unit to another.
He said he would feel comfortable living near this facility. The proposal from Acquest Development would cover just over one acre of the parcel with the container-type structures that the modules are stored in, the same as the current 10 percent lot coverage.
“When I take a look at something like this and they say, ‘Okay, does it make sense in the community?’” Natale mentioned. “I want something that doesn’t make noise, doesn’t create traffic, doesn’t cause me to build more schools, impact the taxes in an adverse way.”
Readings near a fire at a BESS in Escondido, Calif. revealed there was a negligible reading of 2 parts per million because the two main gases, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, rise rather than move horizontally, Natale said. He said other fires, such as one in East Hampton in Suffolk County, was in a much older facility, which Tesla doesn’t use.
For most BESS fires, non-intervention is recommended because the water fuels the blaze, Natale said. Over time the fire burns itself out. On a windy day, any neighboring structures may have to be sprayed, he said.
Of concern for town officials is the promulgation of facilities that are either in use or proposed for Mount Pleasant. There are currently two much smaller BESS facilities operating, one behind the Hawthorne Reformed Church and the other near the town’s community center. A third has been proposed by New Leaf Energy on Wall Street in Valhalla, an entity that is seeking hardship relief this week from the moratorium from the Town Board.
Councilwoman Laurie Rogers Smalley said the town is going to have to grapple with the question of how much is too much for Mount Pleasant, a sentiment shared by other board members.
“There’s only 47 (BESS facilities) in the state and four of them are going to be in Mount Pleasant,” said Councilman Mark Saracino. “That’s like 10 percent of them are ours in the whole state of New York.”
Another consultant for Aquest, Dan Fitzgerald, said because of the escalating energy demand, BESS facilities can store energy for when it is needed most, particularly during peak hours on warm summer days.
“What we’ve been able to do is start treating energy as a commodity and move it to where it’s needed when it’s needed. That’s a big change,” said Fitzgerald, who previously co-founded Key Capture Energy, a company that builds energy storage projects.
He said the Tesla units can last 10 to 15 years before having to be updated, although those updates could happen sooner.
In his pitch to the Town Board, Weber said unlike the anger associated toward other companies, Acquest is a known entity that has been developing in Mount Pleasant for years and is attentive to the town’s needs.
“We kind of look at ourselves as a local developer,” he said. “We’ve been in town a long time. Certainly, with the Amazon facility, I think we’ve been accommodating. You can pick up the phone That’s what sets us apart.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/