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Residents and legislators press county over West Hill Road solar project, battery-storage risks
Summary
At a Chemung County Legislature meeting, residents and legislators raised safety, water-quality and siting concerns about a proposed 20+-acre solar installation on West Hill Road in the Town of Elmira that would include a Tesla lithium-ion battery storage container.
Andrea Renshaw, a resident of 1231 North Hoffman who identified herself as representing Residents for Responsible Solar Energy, told the Chemung County Legislature she and “many townspeople oppose the planned 20 plus acre solar project on West Hill Road that includes a lithium ion battery storage.”
Renshaw said the project, proposed in the Town of Elmira, would clear more than 20 acres for panels and a tractor-trailer–sized lithium battery unit. “Lithium battery fires, although rare, do happen,” she said, and added that past fires in New York have prompted shelter-in-place orders or evacuations within about a one-mile radius of affected sites.
The potential evacuation zone named by Renshaw would include medical and school facilities and residential areas, she said: “Included in this radius is Erna Hospital, Ernie Davis Academy, Fassett…
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