photo by: Journal-World

The Douglas County Public Works facility, 3755 E. 25th St.

Douglas County Zoning and Codes will be hosting a community drop-in session about battery energy storage systems next week.

The BESS session will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 at the Douglas County Public Works building, 3755 E. 25th St., according to a press release from the county. Planner Karl Bauer will provide 15-minute presentations at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. covering what a BESS system is and the regulations process.

A battery energy system, also referred to as a BESS, stores electrical energy in rechargeable batteries and releases it when needed. The systems range in size from small units commonly found in garages and basements to large installations resembling rows of shipping containers that can span many acres.

These systems are becoming increasingly important as utilities integrate more renewable energy into the grid and as electricity demand grows from data centers and other large energy users.

As the Journal-World reported, Douglas County commissioners initiated a text amendment to zoning and land use regulations in 2024 to add data centers, battery storage facilities and cryptocurrency mining operations as potential conditional uses in certain zoning districts and develop standards.

County commissioners received an update on the process in May, as the Journal-World reported, and decided for staff to begin working on regulations for BESS first. They wanted to save more detailed conversations about data centers and digital asset retrieval until after the county’s zoning diagnostic review was completed.

According to the release, Douglas County has not received any applications for a BESS installation.

During the event next week, staff will be available to gather community input on a walk-in basis. The feedback will help inform staff’s ongoing work to develop regulations, and a draft is scheduled to be shared with Lawrence-Douglas County Planning commissioners during their meeting on Dec. 16.

The proposed regulations would then require final approval from the Douglas County commissioners, which is anticipated in 2027, the release said.

Individuals unable to attend the community drop-in session can contact Zoning and Codes staff by filling out a form on the county’s website at https://www.dgcoks.gov/zoning-and-codes/contact.