A battery storage system has been removed from plans for a solar facility in St. Lawrence County.
The New York Power Authority recently acquired split ownership of the Rich Road Solar project in Canton. It now shares the proposed 240-megawatt solar field with French renewable energy company EDF Power Solutions.
A NYPA official said the 20-megawatt battery component was “removed in an effort to streamline the project timeline and help ensure it can take advantage of sunsetting key federal tax credits.”
Battery storage systems are controversial because of potential safety hazards. One caught on fire at a solar farm in Jefferson County a few years ago.
Construction of the solar panels is expected to start late next year.
