LPEA, which ballyhooed its Community PowerX event as “increased community engagement” and an opportunity to address “misinformation,” was carried away by its own exuberance. (Herald, Oct. 31).
For the event, LPEA rented two theaters at the Gaslight and beforehand claimed both were “sold out.” In the one theater where I sat, however, it was half empty, consisting of less than 25 of LPEA’s 36,600 members.
Katie Guerry of Convergent Energy and Power glowed in her TedTalk-like presentation, celebrating the dramatic rise of battery energy storage systems (BESS) nationwide. She only sang the positives. LPEA hired Convergent Energy to assist in building lithium-ion battery storage LPEA hopes to locate at its Shenandoah substation.
Guerry mentioned nothing of safety concerns from combustible toxic fires caused by lithium-ion batteries at substations across the country. LPEA ensured safety concerns were not explored as no questions were fielded after Guerry’s talk.
Recognizing inherent dangers in BESS, La Plata County imposed a moratorium on construction of lithium-ion battery storage facilities until the county adopts safety regulations. The county commissioners will consider a draft code of regulations in December.
Instead of acknowledging the county moratorium and discussing how LPEA would handle potential hazards of BESS, LPEA presented a Pollyanna view of lithium-ion battery storage.
If LPEA desires “increased community engagement” to overcome “misinformation,” its “education” programs need to be balanced – negatives plus positives – to make the presentation credible. Community PowerX was only a half-baked rah-rah show.
Barry Spear
Hesperus
