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Planner refines Article 23 on utility-scale battery energy storage; recommends outreach and agency review
Summary
Planner Alec presented a revised Article 23 aimed at utility-scale battery energy storage systems, recommended targeted outreach and reviews by MEMA and NFPA, and the board authorized submission of the draft to the town warrant and a public hearing on April 17, 2025.
Alec presented a revised draft of Article 23 to regulate battery energy storage systems (BESS), saying the draft is intended to address utility-scale installations rather than small, residential batteries.
He told the board the prior version failed during town meeting partly because of public confusion and some drafting errors; he recommended carrying forward the substantially similar bylaw with cleaned-up language and pairing the bylaw with outreach materials and a one-page explainer. Alec said the intent was to regulate larger utility-style storage installations — systems installed by public utilities to store and discharge energy at scale — and not residential Tesla-type home systems.
Alec recommended seeking external review or public-comment input from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and an NFPA reviewer and suggested pursuing the Attorney General’s pre-review or comment process as needed to reduce legal risk. Board members agreed that outside agency input or a letter of support would strengthen the article ahead of town meeting.
Next steps: The board authorized submission of Article 23 and scheduled a public hearing for April 17, 2025, and staff will prepare outreach materials that explain scale, fire-suppression considerations and regulatory overlap with NFPA and state standards.
