Why do we need BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems)?

Facing the climate crisis requires a rapid transition to renewables. But what happens when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow? Battery storage technology is an essential piece of the clean energy puzzle. This program demystifies a technology that’s already working here in Brooklyn and around the world.

This event is part of 350Brooklyn’s Facing the Future series of events highlighting problems and solutions in our home borough.

Speakers:

Michael Menser, Professor of Philosophy, Urban Sustainability Studies and Caribbean Studies at Brooklyn College and Earth and Environmental Sciences at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Mike co-directs the NYC Climate Justice Hub, a partnership between CUNY and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

Bill Oberkehr, Program Manager, Clean Energy Siting, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Bill serves on the governor’s InterAgency Fire Safety Working Group and works on solar and energy storage codes.

Claudia Villar-Leeman, Senior Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, New York Battery Storage and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST). She works to advance policy, programs, permitting and legislation to enable safe installation of battery storage system — technology that is essential to making the power grid more efficient, affordable, and reliable, particularly as we shift away from fossil fuels.