AriSEIA Sends Letter to City of Surprise on BESS Ordinance

City of Surprise
Community Development
16000 N. Civic Center Plaza
Surprise, AZ 85374
 
RE: City of Surprise Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Ordinance (Chapter 106, Article X, Sec. 106-10.22)
 
Dear Mr. Abrams and Community Development Staff,
 
The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) is the State’s solar, storage, and electrification trade association. We are active on energy policy issues at every level of government in Arizona. We have previously engaged on the City of Eloy, Mohave County, City of Buckeye, Town of Chino Valley, and Yavapai County solar/storage ordinances. Between Option 1 and Option 2, we prefer Option 2. However, we recommend the City consider an Option 3. Namely, we think the ordinance should be split between battery energy storage systems (BESS) and hazardous materials. The setbacks for those different types of facilities should be different and combining them increases fear and misinformation about BESS and clean energy broadly. Additionally, the definitions need to be modified and should be clear that they do not apply to solar or to distributed generation or storage. Finally, we continue to recommend the setbacks be based on evidence and best practices. We recommend that the City reduce the BESS 1,500’ setback from residential property (B) requirement to 150’. We also recommended adding a waiver provision to the Article.
 
Glossary
It is unclear why there are multiple definitions for battery storage and additional definitions for energy storage. The ordinance should keep the first definition for BESS. Energy Production should be completely removed from the glossary and title as the ordinance applies to storage and not generation, such as solar. Nothing in the glossary pertains to manufacturing. The definitions for Battery Storage and Manufacturing, Energy Production and Storage Facilities, and Energy Storage Facilities are redundant. The section on Hazardous Material should be a separate ordinance. The glossary should be clear that the ordinance only applies to utility/grid scale projects and not any distributed, behind the meter projects, such as residential or commercial.
 
Setbacks
The setbacks in (A) and (B) should be from the structure, not the property line. If the intent of the setback is for evacuation purposes, it makes sense to only measure from a dwelling unit. The 1,500 setback in (B) is not based on a setback from any other jurisdiction, a recommendation from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), or best practices. The American Planning Association found the national setback average for BESS-specific setbacks used distances of 50-150 feet from property lines.[1] The BESS 1,500’ setback requirement is significantly above BESS setback standards in other jurisdictions and will restrict clean energy development in the City of Surprise. While the NFPA recommends 100’, we recommend no more than 150’ based on the Phoenix Regional Standard Operating Procedures Battery Energy Storage Systems policy.[2] In the event the City will not consider the most conservative end of the range based on a nationwide review, we recommend no larger than a 500’ setback, commensurate with subsection (A).
 
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) provides a helpful FAQ that covers questions about battery safety and air emissions.[3] ACP also has a Claims v. Facts one-pager on battery safety, included again as Attachment B. “It should also be noted that the average emissions rates of equivalent masses of plastics exceed those of batteries.”[4] Additionally, sampling was done by the Environmental Health Division and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after the Moss Landing incident and “no threat to human health or the surrounding environment” was found.[5] All electricity generation and energy storage creates some amount of risk. However, battery incidents represent only 2% of battery installations.[6] Setbacks for batteries should not be more onerous than setbacks for other energy storage devices, such as those that contain fossil fuels.
 
In (B) we agree that any setback required should be from the dwelling unit like the Yavapai County ordinance, not the lot line. And it should be measured from the actual BESS structures, not an overall project site that might also include solar.
 
Waiver Provision
The Ordinance should include a waiver provision in the event a project proposal conflicts with some component of the Ordinance, but is otherwise an ideal site. The City of Eloy Solar and BESS Ordinance includes such a provision.[7]
 
We have attached a draft Option 3 as Attachment A. Thank you for your time and consideration and we look forward to continuing to engage with the City on this Ordinance as the stakeholder process progresses.
 
Respectfully,
Autumn Johnson
Executive Director
AriSEIA 
(520) 240-4757
[email protected]

[1] American Planning Association, Zoning Practice, P.10 (Mar. 2024), available here https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/publication/download_pdf/Zoning-Practice-2024-03.pdf.

[2] City of Phoenix, Battery Energy Storage Systems, April 2023, available here https://www.phoenix.gov/firesite/Documents/205.20A%20Battery%20Energy%20Storage%20Systems.pdf.

[3] American Clean Power Association, Energy Storage: Safety FAQ, available here https://cleanpower.org/wp-content/uploads/gateway/2023/07/ACP-ES-Product-4-BESS-Safety-FAQs-230724.pdf.

[4] Consolidated Edison and NYSERDA, Considerations for ESS Fire Safety, Feb. 9, 2017, at iii, available here https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Project/Nyserda/files/Publications/Research/Energy-Storage/20170118-ConEd-NYSERDA-Battery-Testing-Report.pdf.

[5] County of Monterey, Air Quality Testing Information and Process During Moss Landing Fire Incident, Sept. 30, 2022, available here https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/Home/Components/News/News/9345/1336.

[6] California Public Utility Commission, Energy Storage Procurement Study: Safety Best Practices, 2023, available here https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/energy-division/documents/energy-storage/2023-05-31_lumen_energy-storage-procurement-study-report-attf.pdf.

[7] Eloy Ordinance, 21-3-1.39, available here https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/eloyaz/latest/eloy_az/0-0-0-9381. 

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