Land requirements for energy storage projects

Do energy storage systems need zoning standards?

Consequently, zoning standards are generally not necessary for these energy storage systems. Define BESS as a land use, separate from electric generation or production but consistent with other energy infrastructure, such as substations. BESS have potential community benefits when sited with other electric grid infrastructure.

What permitting regimes apply to battery energy storage projects?

There are three distinct permitting regimes that apply in developing battery energy storage projects, depending upon the owner, developer, and location of the project. The increasing mandates and incentives for the rapid deployment of energy storage are resulting in a boom in the deployment of utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS).

What are the challenges of a utility-scale battery storage project?

Utility-scale battery storage projects, like any energy project, present land use, permitting, environmental, and health and safety challenges. Developers must anticipate and address these issues to successfully meet project development timelines and goals.

Is utility-scale Bess the future of energy storage?

Utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are and will in the near-future continue to be the technology of choice to meet energy storage requirements in California and other states.

Which states have mandates for energy storage?

Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington have mandates for energy storage. Just four months ago, Massachusetts became the first East Coast state to adopt such a mandate. Energy storage technologies are not entirely new.

Does stationary battery storage fit into zoning regulations?

However, BESS have potential applications across the rural-to-urban transect, and most communities will need to address BESS in some form. This issue of Zoning Practice explores how stationary battery storage fits into local land-use plans and zoning regulations.