Adams County board approves Gem City Solar special use; members raise battery-storage safety concerns

The Adams County Board approved a special use permit for Gem City Solar LLC to build a 175-megawatt commercial solar energy facility in Burton Township. The clerk recorded the vote as 16 in favor, 3 opposed and two absent, and the resolution was adopted.

The vote followed committee review and a motion to approve. The clerk read Resolution 202512501029 and recorded the tally. No formal public comment was recorded on the resolution during the meeting.

Separately, members of the Legislative and Judicial Committee and the full board discussed battery energy storage systems after news reports of a fire at a data-center battery installation in another state. Dr. Rich said the county has been in contact with EMS and fire services and that the county is monitoring what other jurisdictions are doing. "It's not just batteries in the ground," Dr. Rich said. "If something awful happens, we could have a real disaster on our hands."

Board members noted that recent state-level energy omnibus legislation treats storage similarly to solar for permitting and that local authorities’ options may be limited by state rules. Committee leaders said there are no specific, imminent plans or designs for a storage facility in Adams County at this time; a developer that has built two solar farms in the county operates a battery-storage division and has raised the possibility of storage sites, but no application or location had been submitted or scheduled for hearing at this meeting.

The board agreed to continue monitoring safety, permitting, and emergency planning related to battery energy storage and to coordinate with the county’s EMS, fire, and permitting staff should an application arrive.