View of modern photovoltaic solar panels to charge battery. Rows of sustainable energy solar panels set up on the farmland. Green energy and environment ecology concept.

tigerstrawberry

BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

CANTON — On-site battery storage banks will not be part of the 1500-acre Rich Road solar project, at least for now.

Canton Town Supervisor Jim Smith also verified that payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements that local government leaders have been negotiating for the last seven years will likely remain in place.

Smith said during a recent meeting with EDF Renewables and NYPA officials where town leaders learned of the take over of 51 percent of the project by the state power authority, that town officials were told that large scale industrial battery banks would not be part of the project “as of right now.”

“They didn’t say it was never going to be part of the project in the future,” Smith told North Country This Week, but added that the current plans don’t include battery storage.

Large scale industrial battery storage containers used in commercial energy projects are an ongoing concern for the communities and fire districts where they are proposed or have been installed. The equipment is usually housed in storage container style units and have been the cause of several challenging fires over the last few years at solar farms around the country, including one in nearby Chamount a few years ago. Fires in the devices caused by excessive heat buildup often burn for days and release harmful gases that make controlling them difficult for fire fighters.

“The fire department was very very concerned about it,” Smith told North Country This Week. The supervisor said the previous inclusion of batteries in the Rich Road project had raised numerous questions regarding water proximity to the rural location of the project footprint and whether pipelines would have to be installed to facilitate firefighting there if needed.

Smith said the really difficult part of the project from the town’s perspective is that most of the decisions and authorizations for the project have been out of the town’s hands and controlled by state regulators.

NYPA announced in September that it would be taking over 51 percent majority ownership of the 240-megawatt Rich Road solar project from EDF, which would retain a 49 percent stake.

While there was some concern if proposed PILOT agreements would still be approved in light of the state’s ownership intervention, and if the project would possibly be made tax exempt, both state officials and Smith confirmed that a PILOT agreement is still in the works.

While it has not yet been approved, the proposed agreement would be for 10 years, with the school district potentially getting 67 percent of the annual payments, the county receiving 25 percent and the town getting 8 percent, plus a hosting fee.  

Smith anticipates the agreements to be finalized by February of next year.

The supervisor said the project itself will get started with clearing and some site work next year with the bulk of the installation being complete in 2028 and the facility generating power by 2029.