Gloversville City Hall.

Gloversville lawmakers Tuesday voted unanimously to extend a moratorium on the construction of utility solar arrays and battery energy storage facilities for an additional six months.

The common council vote comes amid public safety concerns around the green energy systems and is designed to give lawmakers time to update zoning laws that will ultimately regulate where the systems can be built.

The moratorium, originally adopted in March, is now set to expire in March 2026.

“The moratorium will also allow city officials to have a proactive approach in how industrial solar and battery energy storage systems could impact the fulfillment and vision of many development goals,” the law reads.

Only industrial scale solar projects are prohibited under the moratorium. Those for residential use are still permitted, so long as they do not generate more than 110% of electricity consumed over the previous 12-month period, according to the law.

Under the law, battery energy storage systems are prohibited unless used on “residential property for the benefit of such property only.” Stand-alone 12-volt car batteries and electric motor vehicles are still permitted, according to the legislation.

Mayor Vincent DeSantis has said previously that the city has not been approached by any developers seeking to construct industrial solar and battery storage systems, but lawmakers are seeking to adjust their zoning regulations as a precaution.

The renewable energy systems have become a concern among a growing number of municipalities throughout the region in recent years as the state moves towards its goals aimed at tackling climate change that were laid out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019.

Those include a steep reduction of carbon emissions by 2050 and having 100% of the state’s electricity produced by renewable sources by 2040.

But utility-scale renewable energy systems have grown increasingly unpopular, particularly in rural areas, where transmission lines that tie into the state’s electrical grid pass through large swaths of open land.

In the case of battery energy storage systems, local lawmakers have repeatedly raised safety concerns, pointing to a number of incidents where the systems have burst into flames. The storage systems often use lithium-ion batteries, which are difficult to extinguish and can reignite, prompting concerns from volunteer fire departments.

As a result, a growing number of municipalities have adopted moratoriums in order to adjust zoning regulations in hopes of limiting the scale of large solar battery storage project that often call for clearing hundreds of acres of land. Others have adopted restrictive legislation.

Others, including the towns of Duanesburg in Schenectady County and Amsterdam in Montgomery County, have moved to prohibit battery energy storage systems entirely.

The Gloversville moratorium is set to expire on March 23.

Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: carnold@dailygazette.net or by calling 518-410-5117.

Dan Lentini and Lauren Day sit together at a table inside Sage & Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A sample line-up at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, left to right, The Cubano, Ramem with char broiled steak and a Poke Bowl, Monday, July 20, 2025.

Dan Lentini and Lauren Day sit together inside Sage & Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville.

A look at a Poke Bowl with sesame soy and ginger saku tuna (raw), white rice, edamame, avocado, scallions, carrots, cucumbers, sesame seeds, shredded nori and a flavored drizzle of your choice at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A look at a Buddha Bowl, quinoa, roasted root medley, kale, chickpeas, avocado, dried cranberries, pickled onion with a tumeric tahini drizzle at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, Monday, July 20, 2025.

From top: A look at Ramen with char-broiled steak; A look at The Cubano sandwich.

A look at a Poke Bowl with sesame soy and ginger saku tuna (raw), white rice, edamame, avocado, scallions, carrots, cucumbers, sesame seeds, shredded nori and a flavored drizzle of your choice at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A look at The Cubano, a slow roasted pork, ham, swiss, pickles, romain, tomato and mustard sandwich on toasted bread, served with chips at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A sample line-up at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, left to right, The Cubano, Ramem with char broiled steak and a Poke Bowl.

A sample line-up at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, left to right, a Budda Bowl, Ramem with char broiled steak and a Poke Bowl, Monday, July 20, 2025.

Dan Lentini and Lauren Day sit together at a table inside Sage & Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A sample line-up at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, left to right, The Cubano, Ramem with char broiled steak and a Poke Bowl, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A sample line-up at Sage and Cedar on N. Main Street in Gloversville, left to right, a Budda Bowl, Ramem with char broiled steak and a Poke Bowl, Monday, July 20, 2025.

A new farm-to-table restaurant aimed at providing healthy and adaptable meals also addresses the needs of vegetarian and vegan customers.

Sage & Cedar opened this past spring at 33 N. Main St. in Gloversville.

Owners and chefs Lauren Day and Dan Lentini felt there was a deficit of restaurants in the Gloversville area that addressed those dietary preferences. They wanted to fill that void with healthy and accessible food for all. The restaurant emphasizes that its entire menu is adaptable and customizable for each customer’s preference.

“We wanted to be the option that is inclusive for everybody,” Day said.

The menu features grain and lettuce bowls, ramen, sandwiches, wraps and an ever-evolving array of soups. Since the restaurant opened in April, the poke bowl, ramen and BST sandwich have been customer favorites.

The poke bowl features sesame-soy-ginger tuna over a bed of white rice served with fresh vegetables such as edamame, avocado and cucumber, all topped with a creamy sriracha and mango drizzle.

The flavors of the miso-ginger broth in the ramen bowl attracted customers even during the warm summer months, according to Day and Lentini.........

© The Leader Herald