Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday faced public calls for a moratorium or ban on battery energy storage systems and data centers, following a work session where they heard research on fire risks and rural water limits. No local projects have been proposed, but county commissioners in July 2024 asked staff members to look into how those land uses should be addressed in county codes. Planner Karl Bauer presented research Wednesday showing these uses are undefined in the county’s code outside of solar accessory rules, meaning that battery energy storage systems, or BESS, would already be allowed in the county alongside a solar farm to store extra energy harvested during the day to output during peak usage. The county’s current zoning restrictions would subject BESS to restrictions to avoid fires and noise disturbances.
Read more: The Lawrence Times
