Battery storage can be a quiet win for Indiana communities

By LISA DAN
Guest Columnist

Across Indiana, local leaders are being asked to make thoughtful decisions about how to support growth while protecting the character of their towns.

One technology increasingly part of that conversation is battery energy storage, often called BESS. While it may sound abstract, the reality is simple: battery storage can provide real, tangible benefits to communities with very little impact on how those communities look or function day to day.

Indiana’s economy is growing. Manufacturing, logistics, and technology employers are expanding, and residential energy use continues to rise. At the same time, regional grid operators have warned that parts of the Midwest face near-term capacity and reliability challenges.

Battery storage helps address these pressures by storing electricity when supply is abundant and releasing it when demand is highest. That makes the grid more stable and helps prevent outages, especially during extreme weather or peak demand events.

What often gets overlooked is the local economic upside. Standalone battery storage facilities bring private investment into host towns, generating new tax revenue that can support schools, public safety, road maintenance, and other essential services. Unlike many forms of development, these projects typically require only a few acres of land, have no smokestacks, produce no noise during normal operation, and operate largely out-of-sight. In practical terms, they offer a strong revenue-to-footprint ratio that is hard to match.

Battery storage sites are designed and built to rigorous national safety standards and have been deployed successfully in rural, suburban, and urban communities across the country. Once constructed, they are low-traffic facilities with minimal ongoing activity, meaning they integrate easily into existing land use patterns.

Local planning conversations about battery storage are not about choosing growth at all costs. They are about evaluating whether a well-regulated, small-scale infrastructure investment can help towns meet future energy needs while strengthening local budgets. In many cases, battery storage offers exactly that balance. Thoughtful local review and clear standards can ensure battery storage projects are safe, well-sited, and beneficial, allowing towns to capture the upside while preserving what residents value most.

Indiana communities have an opportunity to lead with pragmatism: supporting infrastructure that quietly does its job, takes up little space, and delivers long-term value.

Lisa Dan serves as the Midwest Director for the Center for Energy Education, where she works with local leaders, utilities, and community stakeholders across the region on grid reliability and energy infrastructure issues.