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Belgrade planning board seeks outside expertise on battery energy storage, reviews solar-fee schedule
Summary
Board members agreed to seek outside technical and fire-code expertise on battery energy-storage systems and reviewed a proposed fee schedule for non-residential solar facilities; the board authorized outreach to an expert and requested additional input from fire and state code officials.
The Belgrade Planning Board discussed permitting and fee issues for solar facilities and battery energy storage systems on May 7, noting state guidance may be incomplete and that fire-safety implications warrant outside technical review.
One board member proposed inviting an external expert (identified in discussion as Jim McGre) to brief the board on battery-energy-storage systems and national fire-code concerns. Members also said the town could contract for technical review if needed; one participant reported contacting outside reviewers who said parts of the draft state guidelines were weak and would need more scrutiny if the town relied on them.
The board reviewed a draft fee schedule for non-residential solar facilities intended to cover technical-review costs and recommended further consultation with local fire officials and the state fire marshal’s office before adopting specifics. The board voted to continue outreach and to pursue expert input before finalizing fee structures and permit-review requirements.
Next steps: staff will reach out to potential experts and to fire-code authorities for guidance, and the board will revisit fee and permit details at a subsequent meeting.
