What exactly is BESS ?
BESS means "Battery Energy Storage Systems"
So what a number of quite different companies want to do is plant large containers full of batteries in Feckenham to store electrical energy. This is the electrical equivalent or a large reservoir, storing energy for peak times.
These are really large containers and each have a cooling system similar to an air pump but on an industrial scale. One air-conditioning unit when its running is noisy but imagine maybe 1000 or more all running all of the time to cool these batteries on our doorstep. There is a BESS bandwagon and because of our local substation there are companies and landowners who want to access it and make money from it.
We don't really need these projects do we ?
The government has a target for nett zero in 2050 and with all the approved plans that are already underway this far achieves that goal. But there are still some companies who want to get on the band wagon and try and make a pot full of cash. What is already on the table for Feckenham is huge and if approved, it opens the floodgates for many more schemes to follow. In essence if we do not object strongly, we could be completely surrounded by these battery storage units.
There is also a significant danger to us all from a fire at these sites. Our local Fire Service are not be able at present to deal with it for us.
Endangering the Green Belt with BESS
There is only so much greenbelt around us in Feckenham and that why we all like to live here. Some grew up here and some moved to have that peaceful country life we all value so much. If these schemes go ahead we will see a lot of wildlife disrupted, ecosystems ruined and this will go on for a minimum of 40 years, which is the life of a BESS contract. In essence we will be surrounded by a noisy factory estate for the rest of time. Do we really want that to happen ? You know that we don't…..