DEERFIELD — A high-tech supercapacitor research facility is one step closer to making its home in town with the Planning Board’s approval of its site plan on Monday.
Florrent, a research and development company specializing in electrical capacitors, appeared before the Planning Board for a site plan review of its leased facility at 10 Greenfield Road. The company plans to conduct research for approximately nine to 18 months before phasing into manufacturing, which will require another appearance in front of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals.
Alex Nichols, Florrent’s co-founder and chief engineer, explained he and his two other co-founders are University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni and are based there, but have been looking to expand their operation.
“Right now we’re growing,” he said, “and it’s time to move out and look at something a little bit bigger.”
Nichols said the supercapacitors that Florrent would manufacture could supplement lithium ion batteries by helping them operate longer.
Supercapacitors are typically created with activated carbon from coconut husks sourced from Asia, while Florrent’s innovation is sequestering the carbon from hemp waste created in the U.S. and using it in its components, rather than letting the carbon enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, according to the company’s executive summary provided to the town.
To acquire this carbon, Florrent heats its furnaces up to 1,500 degrees in the presence of chemical agents. This process does create a small amount of carbon dioxide as a byproduct, which the company plans to vent. Nichols explained their research phase would produce about 2 kilograms of carbon dioxide per hour — over the course of six to 10 hours a week — which is equivalent to driving a car for 2 miles on the highway.
In Deerfield’s bylaws, Section 4131 requires emissions, such as carbon dioxide, to be confined to the building. However, the Planning Board approved a waiver for the regulation.
Planning Board member Analee Wulfkuhle noted the South Deerfield Fire District had yet to sign off on the furnaces. She requested the district’s approval of the plan as one of the conditions.
Fellow board member Kathleen Watroba raised a concern about the neighborhood and the effect combustion processes and emissions may have on abutters.
“I do think we need to take into consideration abutters,” Watroba said. “It is very close to residential homes and I would just like some assurance that the emissions and the operation remain safe for the individuals that live so closely connected to this space and this building.”
Planning Board Chair Denise Mason said that would be a good consideration for when Florrent appears before the board again in advance of its manufacturing phase, as well as for special permit approval from the ZBA, which will review the proposal on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
“I’m assuming we’ll be addressing that in Phase 2; when they come back to us those are really good questions to ask,” Mason said. “It might be good for any or all of us to listen in on the ZBA. It’s sort of a joint decision here.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.