Letter: Hickory Ridge Solar Project Delayed Yet Again

The Town Manager has announced that construction of the long delayed Hickory Ridge Solar Project will not resume until mid 2024 at the earliest. The announcement came in the latest Amherst Town Manager Report for December 4, 2023:

Staff from the Conservation Department, Inspections Services, and Fire Department are working with representatives of PureSky, the Hickory Ridge solar developer, on the final design and permitting for the solar array at the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course. After months of delay, the project has been making its way back through the Conservation Commission and Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. Most of the recent focus has been on updated plans for stormwater management, access to the site during flooding events, and the type and safety of the proposed batteries for the arrays. Staff anticipate continuing to work with the PureSky team on these issues during next 60 days. If all concerns are addressed construction should commence in the spring or early summer.

Limited work on the project began in January of 2023 when 200 trees were cut down. An access road, erosion controls, and some chain link fencing were installed in the early spring. Soon after, construction came to an abrupt halt and has never resumed. Signs posted in the old golf course parking lot announce that the project would be complete sometime last August. Almost one year later, the dead trees are still on the ground and a abandoned looking construction trailer sits nearby.

Serious flooding of the Fort River that winds through the old golf course occurred in January and September. These events have raised questions about the safety of the project’s access road since a long section of the road crosses the known flood plain. To access the Hickory Ridge solar/battery site vehicles must cross this flood plain and the Fort River. After a moderate rainstorm in September, two to three feet of murky, moving water covered the road and the surrounding area. 

If Amherst emergency personnel attempted to respond at the site during heavy flooding, they would need to cross a broad pond created by the rising river and a bridge that often has the Fort River lapping over its decking during high waters. Heavy emergency vehicles would need to navigate across this dangerous morass, possibly in the dark. Fire fighters and other responders would be facing unreasonable risks if a battery fire or other emergency at the facility occurred during one of these frequent flooding events.

PureSky, continues to include fire-prone Powin Centipede 750 batteries in their Hickory Ridge project specifications despite that fact that these new batteries have been involved in at least three serious fires in the past six months. No official report has been issued by Powin or PureSky about the cause of these fires. Nevertheless, PureSky and Powin have informally blamed the problem on water intrusion into the battery containers. They have given no indication of how future fires will be prevented. Any battery that bursts into flames when exposed to water intrusion is a huge problem for this location. Locating 16 huge Powin Centipede 750 battery units at a flood-prone facility with major access issues during heavy rains could potentially lead to disaster. 

One could easily imagine the headlines:

“Firefighters Unable to Reach Battery Fire at Hickory Ridge Solar Project Due to High Flood Waters as Fires Enter Third Day”

“Amherst Officials Permitted Installation of Powin Batteries With Full Knowledge of Past Poor Fire Safety Record”

The health and safety of residents requires that the town continue to hold PureSky to a high standard. The project needs to be safe and should not put first responders and residents at risk. Stringent oversight by Amherst town officials can prevent this project from becoming another example of solar done wrong.

Michael Lipinsky

Michael Lipinsky is a resident of Amherst and a member of Smart Solar Amherst.