By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Groveland Twp.— An ordinance regarding a proposed Battery Energy Storage System is expected to be completed and discussed at The Groveland Township Planning Commission meeting at 7 p.m., Sept. 24, at the township hall, 4695 Grange Hall Road, Holly.
“We are going to be in pretty good shape with the ordinance by that time,” said Bob DePalma, township supervisor.
The battery decommission procedures along with secondary water run-off issues, were still under debate in the ordinance, DePalma added. If the recommendation is approved the township board would then consider the ordinance. The next step will be the application for the site plan.
Earlier this year Dallas-based Vesper Company purchased 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. Potentially, reducing or avoiding price spikes and supply shortfalls. Without a way to store power, electricity must be used the instant it’s generated.
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 to the south. The actual area used will be about 10 to 12 acres with about five acres of batteries.
Prior to the construction of an energy facility, township planning officials, including a steering committee and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) are working to 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.
DePalma reiterated that if the township does not introduce any ordinance to cover the (battery, solar or wind power) systems, they will be stuck with whatever EGLE decides at the November deadline.
While construction of the BESS facility may not begin for another five years funds for municipalities, like Grovleand could be available from EGLE once agreed upon.
Originally, through the Renewables Ready Communities Award, EGLE had established a deadline of Sept. 30, 2024 to qualify for $5,000 per megawatt (MW) to permitters and expectant hosts of eligibility utility-scale renewable energy projects which underwent local permitting processes. Recently, the deadline has been removed and will stay active until $30,000,000 has been depleted.
The Vesper Energy project will produce 300 MW and if completed would provide $1.5 million for Groveland Township.
DePalma suspects the EGLE Renewables Ready Communities Award is still available due to few applicants. The township has been considered for a BESS due to the location of the ITC high-voltage transmission lines over the proposed site. In addition to the township, Otsego and Van Buren counties also have sites under consideration by Vesper.