SHELBURNE FALLS — Great River Hydro is looking to develop a battery energy storage system, a first for the hydropower company, at its Deerfield No. 3 Station located at 71 Conway St.

During a pre-application hearing with the Buckland Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday, the hydropower company presented its plans to put six batteries on a 90-foot-by-168-foot concrete pad.

The company, which manages 13 hydropower generating stations along the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers, is drawing inspiration from the state Energy Storage Initiative. The Department of Energy Resources is encouraging the development of energy storage facilities in hopes that they can relieve pressure on the grid, reduce prices and provide backup power.

“Batteries are something we’re very intrigued by,” said Craig Martin, vice president of power business development at Great River Hydro. “It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a long time.”

Caroline Santangelo, an environmental scientist with the Stantec engineering consulting firm, said the idea is to put six batteries on an already flat area of Great River Hydro’s property. Overhead wires will connect the system to the existing powerhouse. The site is about 100 feet away from Cricket Field Road and would be surrounded by a 6-foot-tall chain-link fence.

The batteries, which would be able to hold 7 megawatt-hours of energy, would be charging during hours when energy costs are low and discharge power back into the grid when prices are high. Martin said these hours are regulated by the state, so discharging can only occur between 4 and 9 p.m., when more people are turning on lights and using electricity. Charging will occur mid-day, when solar energy is generated, filling the grid and lowering costs.

As Great River Hydro and Stantec work to finalize the designs and put together a final proposal for a special permit application, residents and Zoning Board of Appeals members requested the company study potential noise impacts and fire safety plans.

Brandon Kibbe, vice president of external affairs with Great River Hydro, said they have already had meetings with the fire chief to discuss their plans and would schedule more for a deeper review of the fire suppression plan.

“We anticipate spending a lot of time on fire safety,” Kibbe noted.

The system would be monitored remotely by staff at Great River Hydro’s 24/7 control center in Vermont. It would include heat, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; vents to release excess heat; and a dry chemical compound to snuff out any heat before a fire could begin, Kibbe said.

Regarding sound, Kibbe said when the batteries are being charged or discharge energy, they produce a noise that is about 80 decibels, which to those standing 10 feet away would be about as loud as busy traffic. They plan to explore noise modeling to determine how loud the operation would be to those standing at the fence about 100 feet away.

ZBA Co-Chair John Gould said that considering Buckland doesn’t have any mention of battery energy storage systems in its zoning bylaws, the special permit would be issued under the guidelines for energy-generating facilities.

A special permit application hearing has not been scheduled yet.

Gould encouraged residents to reach out to the ZBA with any questions about the project or the special permit process. If residents have a lot of questions, the board may be able to schedule another pre-application meeting.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.