Frequently Asked Questions

While noise from each BESS unit is between 60-90 dBA, that is measured at one meter from the container. Noise heard at surrounding properties will be far below this. Per Mass DEP requirements, noise levels from the project at nearby properties will not exceed 47 dBA. For reference, in the submitted sound report, monitoring during the day showed ambient volume at these properties is already at 38-67dBA. Per the report, “During the majority of the time, background sound levels are expected to be higher than those assumed in this evaluation and the resulting sound level impacts will be less.”

“A comprehensive sound level assessment has been conducted for the proposed Project. Substantial noise mitigation measures have been incorporated into the design of the proposed project to minimize noise impacts in the community. These mitigation measures include low noise equipment, equipment silencers, and sound attenuation barriers. Results of a complete sound level assessment demonstrate that the sound levels from the facility will comply with the requirements set forth in the MassDEP Noise Policy at all residential locations as well as the Town of Tewksbury Bylaws.” - Project Sound Level Report (LINK)

Each BESS project team must develop a custom emergency response plan in coordination with the local Fire Department. Ordering an evacuation in the event of a fire is up to the sole discretion of the fire department. The applicant’s role is to give the fire department the most accurate and up-to-date information so they can make an informed decision. The applicant has committed to ensuring subject matter experts will be on call in the case of an emergency to provide the most up to date information to the first responders in support of their response.

“The length of time which an energy storage system may burn is impacted by many factors, including the size of the system, the failure mode, the state of the system during the failure, State of Charge (SOC), the actions taken during the emergency response, and environmental and atmospheric conditions.  

ESRG (Energy Safety Response Group) has conducted numerous tests on large scale stationary energy storage systems and is aware of many more. In addition, ESRG has responded to numerous BESS fires in the field. First and foremost, no BESS has ever burned for more than five days, which was the duration of a very large, dedicated use building. Systems of the scale proposed here are subject to much shorter events. As we have stated, most battery fires in systems of this design, if they reach a fully involved state, take 2-8 hours to consume themselves entirely. In some cases, we’ve observed systems burning more slowly and taking longer. In these cases, the fire is smaller, well managed, and the emissions much less. Ultimately, as with any fire, the total fuel load is finite, limited by the volume of the enclosure, and the faster and hotter the fire burns, the shorter the duration. The opposite is also true.”

Nick Petrakis, ESRG, PE, Former Assistant Deputy Director New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) Bureau of Fire Prevention Sustainability Unit, BESS safety expert, and involved with developing the standards for UL9540 and NFPA 855.

Medway Grid was approved to site a BESS in Medway’s “Agricultural-Residential II” zone, which is defined in Medway’s Zoning Bylaw as a “residential zone.”

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