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Developers, councilors debate temporary moratorium on industrial solar and battery storage
Summary
The council opened a public hearing on Local Law A of 2025, a proposed temporary moratorium on permits for industrial solar and battery energy storage systems; staff said the city’s zoning is silent on battery-only facilities, public-safety and setback rules are under consideration, and a developer urged the council to remove solar from the moratorium and focus on batteries.
The Amsterdam Common Council opened a public hearing on Local Law A of 2025, which would impose a temporary moratorium on submission and processing of permits and land-use approvals for industrial solar and battery energy storage systems. Staff explained current zoning covers battery systems only when they are part of utility-scale solar projects and that standalone battery-energy-storage systems are not addressed; the moratorium is intended to create time for drafting appropriate zoning and safety regulations.
During public comment, Tom Holt of Amaresco, a renewable-energy developer, said Amsterdam already has a robust solar bylaw and urged the council to drop utility-scale solar from the moratorium and focus on battery storage rules. “We do think it is light on the battery energy storage stuff,” Holt said, adding that Amaresco might apply for a project within six months if the council’s process permits it. Councilors and staff discussed safety features, setbacks, bonding and the likely six-month drafting timeline; staff committed to draft regulations and return with proposals.
Why it matters: the moratorium would pause new applications for industrial energy projects while the city develops specific rules for standalone battery storage facilities, which some speakers said raise unique safety and environmental concerns.
