News

Jul 11, 2023

Concerns Over Lithium

Residents in Herkimer County have concerns over a proposed solar farm in the wake of another lithium-ion battery fire that took place in Jefferson County. A lithium-ion fire at a solar farm in the

Residents in Herkimer County have concerns over a proposed solar farm in the wake of another lithium-ion battery fire that took place in Jefferson County.

A lithium-ion fire at a solar farm in the Town of Lyme has residents in Herkimer County concerned. EDF Renewables has been working on developing a 350-megawatt facility in the Towns of Columbia, Litchfield, and Winfield in Herkimer County. The facility is projected to produce enough electricity to power eighty thousand households. That would require a lot of battery storage, and potential for more fires, but this recent fire isn’t the only one raising eyebrows. Town of Columbia Resident Nathan Seamon has been hearing their concerns.

"We’re aware of the fire in Warwick 6 weeks ago, the Town of Lyme last week, we know there’s been other battery storage fires down in Long Island, so clearly this is becoming a pattern with these large-scale renewable projects and the battery storage systems that go along with them."

We did reach out to EDF Renewables for answers about safety concerns, but they did not return our phone calls or email request. That doesn’t sit well with Town of Columbia Residents.

"There’s concerns with the smoke and the toxins, potential water contamination. These are all real issues that everyday residents have concerns about."

EDF is hoping to have their facility operational in 2027. Many residents in the Town of Columbia oppose the project, but when it comes to large-scale solar farms, State law has taken home rule out of the equation.

"These projects can happen in any town throughout the State given the Climate Act and how that law was written to accommodate these projects."

Smaller solar farms like the one proposed in the Town of Kirkland still have to go through local municipalities for approval, but even these smaller farms are being met with local opposition.

"The reality is nobody wants to live near these projects right, given all of these concerns that are playing out in front of our eyes."

There is a presentation pertaining to New York's energy plan that will take place at the Litchfield Town Hall on Wednesday, August 16th at 7:00 PM.

Free Community Presentation Offered in Town of Litchfield:

Can New York Combat Climate Change Without Destroying Communities?

A free community presentation – “Can New York Combat Climate Change Without Destroying

Communities?” – will be held on August 16, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the Litchfield Town Hall, 804 Cedarville Rd,

Ilion, NY. Presenters Dennis Higgins and Keith Schue will speak about the New York State Climate

Action Plan.

New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates that our electric

grid be carbon free by 2040. The New York Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA)

plan is to achieve this through the installation of industrial solar and wind farms across upstate New York,

along with sprawling transmission lines and the giant batteries required by both wind and solar. So,

what’s the problem? All this industrial wind and solar would not reduce our need for the fossil-fuel power

plants that currently provide dispatchable backup capacity – critical when the sun’s not shining and the

wind’s not blowing.

Local interest in the subject is particularly high as Upstate New York is being targeted to provide “green”

energy to New York City. A foreign-owned wind developer is working to secure 20,000 acres in Herkimer

and Oneida counties to build an industrial wind operation. In the Town of Columbia, also in Herkimer

County, a solar developer is working to secure 2,200 acres for solar panels along with the requisite

battery storage. Upstate New York already has a 90% carbon-free grid, thanks to hydropower on

the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers, and nuclear power plants on Lake Ontario. In fact, New York

State generates more power from hydro than any state east of the Rocky Mountains.

Higgins and Schue point out that the state’s analysis ignores not only the ecological impact of such a

massive buildout, but also the cost to ratepayers. They will share hard lessons learned from similar efforts

in California and Germany and highlight the rising opposition to New York’s current accelerated

renewable-siting process. NYS 94-C law, passed in 2019, can ignore full environmental review and local

laws in order to site industrial solar and wind projects, effectively voiding home rule. Accelerated siting

allows giant companies to cover forests and farms with solar panels and massive wind turbines,

threatening rural economies, the environment, and Upstate New York quality of life.

Higgins and Schue ask: Isn’t it a mistake to pursue a flawed energy plan that sacrifices nature,

increases energy costs, and does little to decarbonize the grid? They will outline their ideas on a

better way to address these critical issues. A question-and-answer session will follow their

presentation.

Bios:

Dennis Higgins is a retired college professor and resides in Otego, NY. He taught mathematics and

computer science at the University of Scranton, St. Lawrence University, and SUNY Oneonta. He has

been involved in regional energy issues for over a decade.

Keith Schue, a resident of Cherry Valley, has a master’s degree in engineering and worked in the private

sector for 15 years. Before moving to New York, he was employed with the Florida Chapter of The Nature

Conservancy on issues relating to the impacts of human development and infrastructure on ecosystems.

He has been engaged in New York’s energy policy since 2010, and currently volunteers as a technical

advisor for New York Energy & Climate Advocates. He has provided technical input on the federal Clean

Power Plan, NYS Energy Plan, NYS Clean Energy Standard, industry regulations, legislation, and various

projects.