The Gloucester Planning Commission met June 10 in the colonial courthouse to hold a public hearing on a proposed battery storage facility and to further discuss last month’s public hearing on two conditional use permit applications requesting to establish solar energy facilities.

The applicant for the battery storage facility, Strata Solar Development, LLC, requested a CUP to develop, install and operate a 19-megawatt battery storage system on Nursery Lane. The property is six acres of vacant land and is located in the Industrial (I-1) zoning district. The site is adjacent to Dominion Energy’s White Marsh Substation and Winterberry Solar Farm.

“There are some advantages to Gloucester beyond the financial advantages,” said Greg Davis, counsel to Strata. “This is green energy, so we’re helping the state of Virginia do away with fossil fuel generation. But it’s reliable power. So, if there were a storm event or malfunction on the electrical grid or just a main line that feeds Glouc...