The Gloucester County Planning Commission will meet at 7 o’clock tonight at the colonial courthouse to hold a public hearing on a conditional use permit for a battery storage facility.
The applicant, Strata Solar Development, LLC, is requesting the CUP to develop, install and operate a 19-megawatt battery energy 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.
According to Strata’s project description, “Nursery Lane Storage utilizes proven, safe and reliable lithium-ion based battery energy storage technology to store and discharge energy onto the electric grid. The project design includes multiple fire-rated steel outdoor enclosures, like shipping containers, that house the batteries, inverters, and associated system management equipment.
“The project increases the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid,” continued the project description. “It is capable of providing ‘peak’ energy needs on hot days and will help keep the lights on during storms or other severe weather events.
“The project is also operationally flexible to back-stop intermittent renewables like wind and solar with ‘firm’ energy,” continued the description. “The addition of battery energy storage to the electric grid also provides for increased efficiency across Dominion Energy’s electric system, which reduces cost and improves reliability for ratepayers.”
Code amendment
The planners will also discuss a potential code amendment to the In Part Parcel requirements. According to planning and zoning documents, staff recently “reviewed an In Part Parcel Subdivision Plat that included many elements of the requirements specified in the code amendment, but not a signature line stating that the property owner consented to the action occurring on the plat.”
During the meeting, staff will discuss a potential code amendment to revise the In Part Parcels requirements to include this signature.
Other business
The planners will also continue their discussion on the solar facilities draft ordinance revisions. They will also continue discussing the CUPs for the proposed solar energy facilities at the intersection of Maryus Road (Route 640) and Ditch Bank Road (Route 1104).