By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Groveland Twp. — On Tuesday the Groveland Township Planning Commission gathered for a special meeting to discuss updates to the proposed battery storage ordinance.
In May, Dallas-based Vesper Energy announced the purchase of property from an individual for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), a type of energy storage system that uses lithium batteries to store and distribute energy in the form of electricity at a later time. By storing energy, extra power is saved and released when demand is greater such as the evening hours.
The proposed 63 acre parcel borders I-75 on the west side with the ITC corridor overhead and near The River Church, with Springfield Township.
Prior to the construction of an energy facility, the township will implement an ordinance to safely regulate its operation. Key in the ordinance will be Public Act 233, which lawmakers approved last November. The Act goes into effect Nov. 29, and shifts the authority from local to the Michigan Public Service Commission for massive wind, solar, and energy storage facilities in some cases.
“If we (Groveland Township) don’t introduce any legislation to cover the (battery, solar or wind power) systems, we are going to be stuck with whatever EGLE (Environment, Great Lakes and Energy) decides the rules should be,” said Bob DePalma, township supervisor.
As a result, township officials have been consulting with the Michigan Township Association, EGLE and Michigan State University that were hired to write the first ordinances. On Tuesday, the planning commission along with the several from the community gathered to discuss the proposed changes. The suggestions, which will be shared with the state and Vesper are more stringent then the state recommendations.
“Townships and local governments are being held to task of what we are able to do within our own confines,” said Jeff Penzien, township planning commission director. “If the vendor does not like what they are looking at they can move on. We are trying to get the best possible arrangement in place before we are told how this is going to happen. If the township does nothing, it’s still going to happen.”
Deadlines for the proposed ordinance and approvals loom.
On Sept. 30, applications for the Renewables Ready Communities Award are due. If awarded, EGLE will provide $5,000 per megawatt (MW) to permitted and expectant hosts of eligibility utility-scale renewable energy projects which underwent local permitting processes, with $2,500 per MW granted to each awardee in cases when host and permitted differ.
The Vesper Energy project will produce 300 MW and if completed would provide $1.5 million for Groveland Township.