MASON COUNTY, Texas — The reliability of the state's power grid has been a big concern for Texans since the February 2021 freeze, when millions lost power for days.
One solution growing in popularity across the state is battery energy storage systems (BESS) that help store sustainable energy.
But the KVUE Defenders found battery storage systems don't exactly make for an environmentally friendly neighbor.
Just ask Christopher Dyer.
He lives in Mason County and told KVUE that his new neighbor, a battery storage system, has turned his life into a nightmare.
"I have a lot of pride in my yard ... that's such a nice sound," Dyer said, as construction vehicles beeped just feet away from his property line. "We had no idea that something like this would ever happen like this close to us."
Now Dyer wants everyone to know that what has happened to him can happen to anyone.
Not long ago, pruning flowers and maintaining a manicured lawn gave Dyer peace. That changed in late 2023 when construction of a BESS started next door.
For months, Dyer said he put up with so much construction noise. He installed water features to help drown it out, but his wife just could not take it. She temporarily moved out to focus on her studies.
"All the noise these guys are generating, she couldn't focus," Dyer said. "She's working on her master’s degree, and she has to compete with that stuff."
Besides the noise, he said vibrations from the construction and heavy equipment caused cracks throughout his home.
Even before construction started, Dyer told the KVUE Defenders that just the news of the battery storage facility prevented the sale of his house. He had it on the market from March 2022 to February 2023.
Dyer lowered the listing price several times, but the No. 1 concern for buyers was the issue of the new battery farm.
Dyer is also worried about the dangers, especially if the lithium-ion batteries catch fire. In May, a fire at a California lithium-ion battery storage facility burned for five days and prompted evacuation orders.
KVUE reached out to the parties behind the battery storage project on Post Hill Street, including Regis Energy Partners, Excelsior Energy Capital, STEM Inc. and city of Mason representatives. We wanted to ask about safety measures in place for the new battery storage facility next to Dyer's home, but no one responded.
We also reached out to the American Clean Power Association, a trade organization that represents more than 800 energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, clean hydrogen and transmission companies. They told us safety is the energy storage industry’s top priority.
Phil Sgro is the association's deputy director of Media Relations.
“The technology is designed with safety as an inherent feature,” Sgro said.
Sgro also said partnerships with community members, like fire professionals, are critical. Data from the American Clean Power Association shows there have been 20 incidents involving battery storage facilities in the U.S. in the last 10 years.
“Safety events that result in fires or explosions are rare. Explosions constitute a greater risk to personnel, so the U.S. energy storage industry has prioritized the deployment of safety measures such as emergency ventilation to reduce the buildup of flammable gases," Sgro said. "Such ventilation can reduce the effectiveness of fire suppression, so an increasing number of manufacturers have adopted a strategy of allowing fires in individual battery enclosures to burn out in a controlled manner."
The group produced the Energy Storage Emergency Response Template as a safety guideline for members to follow, which is vetted and worked on by the National Fire Protection Association.
John Hensley is the vice president of Markets and Policy Analysis.
"Remember, we're entering sort of this time of unprecedented growth combined with the effects from higher temperatures, colder winters, extreme weather events, etc., that are just changing the way that grids operate and the, you know, different situations that they have to respond to. And energy storage brings a ton of capabilities to the table," Hensley said.
In May, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) showed 830 planned battery storage projects across Texas. That number includes battery storage projects combined with solar, wind and other technologies. Most of them are standalone battery energy storage facilities, like the one next door to Dyer.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Texas now leads the U.S. market for large-scale energy storage. The federal government expects the Lone Star State to install 6.5 gigawatts of utility-scale batteries in 2024. One gigawatt powers about 750,000 homes.
Pablo Vegas is the CEO of ERCOT.
"They're always on the ready to deliver power whenever you flip the switch, and you need them,” Vegas said.
He added that battery storage facilities are flexible and help with grid reliability, but they can only provide one to three hours' worth of power.
"So, when we're dealing with longer-term events, whether it's long-term heatwaves or long-term cold snaps, we're going to need a balance of resources,” Vegas said.
Doug Lewin, the author of the Texas Energy in Power newsletter, said the Inflation Reduction Act's 30% tax credit led to the explosive growth of battery storage facilities in Texas.
Lewin said not all the planned storage projects will become reality, but enough of them will eventually come online to make a difference –especially during the two time periods that are most problematic for Texans.
"The summer nights and then the winter mornings,” Lewin said.
The rapid growth of these battery storage facilities caught the attention of at least one lawmaker.
During the 2023 legislative session, State Rep. Andrew Murr told the House Administration Committee he wanted to create a group to study the impact of large-scale battery systems. But House Bill 4574 died in committee. Murr's other piece of legislation, House Bill 4971, would have created a permitting process.
"I investigated with all state and federal agencies I could think of, and there is not a permit in the world that would apply to a battery storage facility," Murr said.
That bill also died in committee, which was not good news for Dyer.
Dyer said the city of Mason did help by paying to build a wooden fence that blocks most of the view of his unwanted neighbor, but he said that is not good enough.
"It's too close,” Dyer said.
Dyer told KVUE that talks with Regis Energy Partners about paying for damage to his home are not progressing. He also said he is now considering all his legal options.
KVUE also reached out to Wes Virdell, the Republican candidate for the open House District 53 seat who is set to replace Murr in November. We asked if he had any plans to file legislation to regulate battery farms. In a statement, Virdell said he needs to study this matter in more depth before giving an opinion.
In the meantime, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Insurance told us the Texas Fire Marshal’s Office does not have data on fires at battery storage facilities, but reporting them is not mandatory.
See the full interview with Phil Sgros and John Hensley below: