The Huntington Town Board will take up the issue of battery storage systems at a public hearing at its next meeting on Sept. 12.
The hearing will cover a proposed six-month moratorium on permits or approvals for the installation of battery storage systems in Huntington. National Grid supports the installation of such systems, which store power derived from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, and then used when needed.
Democratic Town Board candidate Don McKay has made the systems and the approval process an issue in his campaign, urging a moratorium on their approval. Councilman Sal Ferro sponsored the resolution to create next month’s public hearing.
McKay has argued that companies proposing a storage system for a residentially zoned site on Pulaski Road in East Northport are avoiding a part of the town code that limits them to commercial and industrial areas, and are using a different section of the town code to get around the limit.
At week’s Town Board meeting, McKay said that while the systems could prove to be “A positive for green energy and a benefit to environment,” the Pulaski Road site was a poor choice because of homes nearby. He cited a statement from the Planning Board, which also said “the proposal is inappropriate” for that location.
A moratorium would give planners time to identify better locations for the systems, McKay said.
Ferro said he had been working on the issues surrounding battery storage with the Melville Fire Department and said to McKay, “I do appreciate that we’re on the same page.”
Another hearing on Sept. 12 will consider the addition of a stop sign in the southbound lane of Elmtree Lane at the Peartree Lane intersection.