Southwick board questions safety of batteries at proposed solar array

SOUTHWICK — Planning Board members will heavily consider the safety of the battery storage of the proposed Hudson Drive solar array when they make their decision on the project March 1.The Southwick Solar Project array on Hudson Drive was approved by the Conservation Commission, but still needs approval from the Planning Board. Multiple members of the board were concerned about the presence of a large battery on the array, because the property is located in a wellhead protection district.Tom Saunders of Energy Development Partners said that the battery would be housed in a specialty container that will be the size of two to four shipping containers. Those containers will likely be placed on a concrete pad, which will be on top of crushed stone. He said that the container will be watertight, except for the door, which will have a rubber seal around it. The battery will be…

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