Diane Walden is reporting for The Columbia Paper Hecate [HEK-uh-tee] Energy has announced it will eliminate a battery storage system from its proposed 60-megawatt photovoltaic solar farm in Craryville, called Shepherd’s Run. Hecate is a Chicago-based developer of solar power plants, wind power plants, and energy storage solutions. The company said its decision comes in response to public feedback and demonstrates that the company is listening to that input. Sensible Solar for Rural New York, a coalition of concerned citizens opposed to the project, says Hecate still has a long way to go to address local concerns. The January 26 announcement comes on the heels of an announcement in December that the company will reduce the project’s footprint by more than 25 percent from 500 acres to 360 acres. With the project area cut to 360-acres, the panels will now occupy 280 acres and the lithium-ion battery storage is cut from the plan. Project Developer Alex Campbell said by email this week, “Hecate has no plans to do anything to make up for the lack of storage.” “Hecate Energy wants the citizens of Copake to know we are listening to their views and opinions, and that we value working with the community to site and develop the best possible project,” Campbell said in a press release. In a statement released in response, Darin Johnson of Sensible Solar for Rural New York said, “While Hecate Energy continues to portray itself as a company going out of its way to work with the people and community of Copake, NY, this could not be further from the truth.” Johnson applauded Hecate's decision to remove battery storage from the facility, but he argued there is much more to be done to address the concerns of Copake and Columbia County residents and public officials. Read more in The Columbia Paper.