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<
span style="color:#d41812">Battery Energy Sto
rage Facilities Discussed at Friday Coffee
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\n <
span style="font-size:14px"><
span style="font-family:inherit">¶
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The proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for Oshtemo and Comst
ock will be discussed at the KGOP Friday Coffee. \;
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¶
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\n <
span style="font-size:14px"><
span style="font-family:inherit">Join us Friday at 9 am
for an informative meeting. Coffee and pastries provided. \;<
/span>
\n
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\n ¶
\n
\n Our office is in the Trestlebridge Offi
ce Center\, \;<
/span>5250 Lovers Lane
\;in Portage (across from Loy Norr
ix High School\, south of Kilgore Road).
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¶<
/span>
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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BESS: \;<
/span>
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\n ¶
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<
span style="color:#080809">Unsafe at Any
Distance<
/span>
\n
\n By And
rea Lundgren
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\n ¶
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\;
If you grew up in the 60’s or 70’s\, you might understand the play o
n words here. \;It picks up on the title of the book “Unsafe at Any
Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile.” \;That w
as a non-fiction book written by consumer advocate Ralph Nader\, first publ
ished in 1965. \;He pointed out many safety issues concerning vehicle
manufacturing at the time. \;His work led to legislation to improve ca
r safety measures that saved countless lives.
\n
\n
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¶
\n
\n \; \;Fast forward to today\, here in
Michigan and across the country\, we’re facing another pivotal point in o
ur manufacturing history. \;The issue today is energy. \;More spe
cifically\, the effort to build bigger and better batteries and energy stor
age systems that will power our high-speed\, high-tech futures. \;And
once again\, the technology is booming\, but the safety measures are woeful
ly inadequate at best.
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\n ¶
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\
n
\; \;These energy storage facilities are referred to as BESS
\, Battery Energy Storage Systems. \;These systems are used to store e
nergy\, from sources like solar and wind farms\, to provide backup power du
ring outages\, or help power new\, massive data centers. \;It’s tout
ed as the next step in “Green Energy” because they don’t emit carbon
into the atmosphere like coal burning plants.
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¶
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\n \; \;The problem with BESS projects i
s\, right now\, the cons far outweigh the pros. Besides the outward negativ
es\, such as\, many of these projects are unsightly. \;They are massiv
e in size\, taking up acre after acre of picturesque farmland. \;They
also add light and noise pollution to surrounding communities.
\n
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\n ¶
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\n \; \; \;But the
biggest problem with these BESS projects is the hidden danger. \;Right
now\, the technology is so new and growing exponentially\, that safety reg
ulations haven’t kept pace. \;A single BESS project can contain anyw
here from a \;few hundred to 100\,000 lithium-ion batteries across tho
usands of modules. \;
\n
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\n ¶
\n
\n \; \; \;You may already know\, when a single lithium
-ion battery in an electric vehicle catches fire\, local fire departments m
ay not be equipped to handle these types of fires. \;Many fire departm
ents simply let the fire burn and protect nearby vehicles and structures fr
om catching fire. \;So\, what happens when several batteries catch fir
e\, or several hundred?<
/div>
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\n ¶
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\n \; \; \;Just ask the residents of Moss Landing\, Califo
rnia. \;This past January\, 1500 residents were evacuated from their h
omes when a nearby BESS facility caught fire. \;And they are still dea
ling with the aftereffects today.
\n
\n
h
ttps://www.latimes.com/.../la-me-monterey-county-vistra...<
/span>
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\n ¶
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\
n
\; \;Michigan could be next. \;There are numerous BESS
projects planned for communities across the state\, including right here in
Kalamazoo County. \;There are projects planned for Oshtemo Township a
nd Comstock. \;There is also a massive Data Center in the works for Pa
vilion Township.
\
n
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\n ¶
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\; \;These communities are now scrambling to develop local ordinan
ces to either implement safety regulations over the proposed projects\, or
outright ban them from their communities\, as local residents learn of thei
r dangers.
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¶
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<
span style="text-wrap-mode:wrap">
\; \;One roadblock for these l
ocal municipalities implementing specific ordinances to protect their resid
ents is PA 233. \;Public Act 233 is a new law here in Michigan that al
lows developers to petition the state\, when local towns or counties try to
prevent a renewable energy project in their community. \;The law gran
ts the Michigan Public Service Commission the authority to grant permits if
a local government denies a building permit\, if certain criteria are met.
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\n ¶
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\n <
span style="font-size:14px"> \; \; \;Want to learn more about BESS pr
ojects? \;Join us at the KGOP office this Friday at 9 a.m. to hear sev
eral local residents discussing proposed projects in Oshtemo\, Comstock and
Pavilion Townships and the efforts underway to shut them down.
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p\;
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