Alden considers new safeguards as battery storage reaches town hall

ALDEN — As New York continues its push toward renewable energy, large-scale utility battery storage facilities are popping up across the state to meet growing demand. Under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, signed in 2019, the Department of Environmental Conservation was tasked with capping state emissions, while the Public Service Commission was mandated to build out energy storage programs. Though several initial targets under the law have since been scaled back, state goals for energy storage were actually expanded in 2024—from 3 gigawatts to 6 gigawatts by 2030.

Meeting those ambitious targets requires extensive buildout, and eastern Erie County has seen a high concentration of proposed storage projects thanks to affordable land and proximity to wind and solar installations. Although no grid-scale battery facilities have been formally proposed within Alden itself, town officials are taking a proactive stance to regulate the technology before developers arrive.

On Aug. 3, the Town Board voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing for Local Law No. 4 of 2026, a measure designed to regulate Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The hearing was set for Aug. 17 at Town Hall on Wende Road, running alongside a separate hearing regarding a potential override of the state property-tax cap.

Battery storage facilities have become essential to New York's clean-energy grid, capturing surplus power generated during off-peak hours and feeding it back during demand spikes. Yet their rapid proliferation in rural and suburban upstate communities has sparked intense land-use debates.

Chief among local concerns is public safety. Large utility-scale facilities rely on banks of lithium-ion cells that can, under rare failure scenarios, experience thermal runaway—producing intense heat, releasing toxic off-gasses, and requiring specialized fire-suppression protocols that can strain rural volunteer fire departments. Neighbors also regularly raise concerns over industrial cooling noise, visual impacts, property values, and long-term site decommissioning.

Local Law No. 4, which was adopted by the board on September 9th, aims to address those issues by establishing clear town-level standards. While specific draft details were made available through the Town Clerk's office ahead of the hearing, local battery codes typically enforce strict zoning boundaries, require visual screening berms and setbacks, and mandate developer-funded decommissioning bonds and first-responder training.

Residents interested in reviewing the regulations can inspect draft copies of Local Law No. 4 at the Town Clerk's office during regular business hours.