Jessica Jones-Gorman – Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
(TNS)
Dec. 5—STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — When battery energy storage systems (BESS) began popping up in several NYC neighborhoods in 2022, developers touted the lithium-ion structures as quiet neighbors that were a necessary agent for renewable change — one that would remove pressure from the city’s stressed grid and help the state meet some ambitious environmental goals.
But as several Staten Island homes were razed to make room for colonies of solar-powered pods, and utility-scale energy facilities were dropped in next to gas stations and proposed for school zones, borough residents voiced their concerns. Community Boards voted against their proximity to bakeries and storefronts; elected officials issued a moratorium on BESS applications filed within residential districts. In one instance, an energy developer retracted plans to place batteries in a Bulls Head church parking lot.
Still, plans for the structures persisted and dozens of plots of borough land were earmarked for BESS sites. And while most project opponents agree that NYC needs a green energy solution, they’re also petitioning for the answer to be built farther away from their backyard.
Now two years into this controversial endeavor, more than a dozen energy storage sites are currently in the pipeline for Staten Island, several of them set to receive more than $1.5 million in incentive awards from the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Here’s a look at a few of the major BESS milestones that occurred in 2024 and an update on how battery energy storage is developing on both the North and South shores:
In February, Gov. Kathy Hochul released initial recommendations from the Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group, which was formed following fires at battery energy storages systems in Jefferson, Orange and Suffolk counties. The group’s suggested changes included a peer review for each project, the removal of a fire code exemption for sites owned or operated by electrical utilities and mandated first responder training for every BESS installation.
During a sustainability forum hosted by the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) in February, the FDNY cited a need to better prepared for BESS emergencies during a battery awareness panel discussion.
“We need to be aware of where they are installed … our units need to know what they’re walking into, because it may impact the way we fight these fires,” New York City Fire Department Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn during the panel discussion. “Give us a seat at the table when the discussion occurs because we need to review how this will impact the fire service.”
The developers of five new NYC BESS systems — one of which is slated for development on a 15,910-square-foot parcel in Tottenville, located in the shadow of the Outerbridge Crossing — requested funding from the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) for their projects.
Borough President Vito Fossella and Councilman David Carr denounced plans for another lithium-ion battery energy storage site — this one reportedly slated for construction near a strip of businesses and adjacent to several residential homes in a vacant lot at 1963 Victory Blvd. Located on the border of Westerleigh and Castleton Corners, developers in March filed plans to build a 10,000-square-foot facility that will house four lithium-ion battery megapacks at the site.
In March, NYSERDA admitted that the enhanced safety standards recommended by Hochul’s Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group will not apply to BESS projects located within the borders of NYC.
NYCIDA announced its approval of financial assistance for four NYC battery energy storage systems in April. The organization noted that two of the four projects approved for funding will be placed on Staten Island: One near the Outerbriddge, located at 4838 Arthur Kill Rd., the site of the former Country Estate Kennels; the other at 4401 Victory Blvd. in Travis — where an existing 15.1MW gas turbine at the Arthur Kill Generating Station will be retired.
After examining a new NYSERDA dataset in May, the Advance/SILive determined that 13 more lithium-ion battery energy storage sites are currently “in the pipeline” for Staten Island, each one set to receive more than $1.5 million in incentive awards and be operational within the next few years. Spread out among eight different communities, some clustered on the South Shore and others scattered in the North Shore neighborhoods of Mariners Harbor, Concord and West Brighton, these newest BESS sites are slated for construction in a mix of industrial, commercial and residential zones — several located less than a half mile away from each other.
“The Arthur Kill re-development project will install the latest energy storage technology on the site of a former power generation plant,” Eric Cherniss, head of development at Elevate Renewables, announced in June, detailing his company’s intentions to construct a 15 MW/60 MWh battery storage infrastructure project at the Arthur Kill Generating Station in Travis.
The project, located at 4401 Victory Blvd., will replace the existing generation plant which is planned to retire in 2025. Once completed, the facility will be able to power more than 10,000 households during peak demand periods, according to the developer.
Hochul announced in June that the New York State Public Service Commission has approved a new framework for the state to achieve six gigawatts of energy storage by 2030 — a move that will double New York’s original energy storage goal, and likely add a multitude of new lithium-ion charged projects throughout New York City and state.
- Energy Storage System Installations: Fire Service Awareness
- Responses to Energy Storage Systems
- Utility Control: The Unseen Dangers of Alternative Power Sources
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