We’ve pulled together resources to help residents, community leaders, and policymakers understand the growing risks of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Whether you live here in Michigan or are following stories across the United States, you’ll find articles that explain the facts, expose the risks, and highlight what’s happening in real communities.
Understanding the Laws in Regards to BESS
- FAQ on how PA 233 works – University of Michigan
- Renewable energy in Michigan Questions answered, questions remain – Michigan Township Association
- Renewable Energy Siting and Permitting – Michigan Township Association
- Renewable Energy Academy Online – PA 233: The Four Pathways – Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
📍 Michigan-Specific BESS Issues
- Stop the proposed Covington Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
- Decatur, MI – BESS Meeting Minutes
- Victory Township
- Blendon Township, MI Residents Speak Against Plans for Battery Energy Storage (Holland)
- Blendon Township Change.org Petition
- Summit Township commission advances battery storage project
- Slocum Energy Storage (Detroit)
- Bissell Battery Generator (Grand Rapids)
- Tibbits Energy Storage (Coldwater)
- Decatur?
🇺🇸 National & U.S. Incidents
This section looks at what’s happening across the country:
- Escondido, CA (2024) — a 3-day BESS fire with evacuations up to 1.5 miles
- McMicken, AZ (2019) — an explosion injuring four firefighters, leading FEMA to fund national research
- How states like California are tightening safety laws after repeated fires
- The broader picture of defects, toxic hazards, and industry oversaturation nationwide
- Battery energy storage system fire in Arizona: Are Staten Island sites at risk?
- Former FDNY officials declare battery energy storage systems safe under ‘stringent’ new N.Y. code
- Are controversial battery energy storage systems the solution to NYC’s strained electrical grid?
- Battery energy storage system erected in this S.I. neighborhood ‘a major concern’
- Staten Island lawmaker pushes for 1,000-foot buffer between battery energy storage systems and homes
- Massachusetts Is Literally Playing with Fire As It Welcomes Unsafe Large Battery Storage to Urbanized Areas
- 2019 Peoria, Arizona – Dispute Erupts Over What Sparked an Explosive Li-ion Energy Storage Accident
Firefighting Lithium-Ion Battery Fires