Asked to host batteries for a short trial?

Find out what the trial is intended to prove

Ask the company to explain the test in ordinary language. Would the batteries serve a nearby circuit during outages, test a connection arrangement, support an existing business or do something else? Who would operate them, and what work would take place on your property?

Conway’s March 3, 2026 Planning Board minutes describe an Eversource proposal for mobile battery trailers to test backup service for several months. The board considered one site too small for the required setbacks. Its March 17 follow-up said it had not heard whether the utility would seek site-plan review for the other location. These are dated discussions, not evidence of current approval or a request for your land.

For the offer in front of you, ask what would count as a completed trial and who decides. Does it end on a date, after certain tests or whenever the company considers the work complete? Request a schedule that you can compare with the occupancy period in the agreement.

Keep the proposed trial separate from any later project. Does the company only want to test equipment, or does it also want an option to keep batteries there for years? Ask it to identify each requested right and payment before you agree to a combined document.

Reference: Town of Conway: March 3, 2026 Planning Board minutes, mobile-battery trial discussion · Town of Conway: March 17, 2026 Planning Board minutes, mobile-battery follow-up

Check the whole delivery and operating area

Request a drawing showing where the equipment would sit and how it would reach that location. Include the delivery vehicle, turning space, unloading work, supports, cables, fencing and any equipment that stays outside the trailer. Mark buildings, existing drives and the areas you need to keep using.

A short stay can still involve work on the ground. Ask whether the company expects grading, crushed stone, concrete, tree removal, trenches or changes to drainage. Have the proposed work described before authorizing entry, with responsibility for investigating the ground and handling unsuitable conditions.

Discuss delivery and removal separately. Can the same route be used later if crops, weather or another tenant’s activities change? Ask who arranges any road permissions and who repairs damage to your entrance, drive or shared access. Confirm arrangements with other users before the equipment arrives.

Ask who checks the reviewing authorities and applicable requirements for the actual installation. Portable equipment and a short timetable do not, by themselves, establish a permit exemption. Request the relevant decisions or written explanation before treating a trial date as permission to begin.

Put arrival, departure and extension dates in writing

Separate investigation visits, site preparation, delivery, testing and removal. Ask when each right begins and whether one stage can start before the next is authorized. A proposed testing period of a few months may leave preparation and cleanup time unexplained.

Have the agreement identify the last date for occupation and the time allowed for removal and repairs. Ask what notice you receive before delivery or a change to the schedule. If you need the property for planting, a tenancy or another project, put that date into the discussion now.

Check whether the company can extend the stay on its own. How much notice is required, what payment is due and is there a maximum extension? If it wants a new agreement, ask for the proposed change before the original period expires. Silence should not be your only way of finding out what it intends.

Ask what happens if the trial never starts or stops early. Are preparation costs, promised payments and repair duties still covered? Discuss how any exclusive reservation ends so a canceled test does not leave you uncertain about the property’s availability.

Separate land payments from power-service promises

Ask what you receive for reserving the site, allowing investigations, hosting the equipment and any additional time. Identify the amount, due date and party responsible for each payment. If the proposal only offers a service benefit, ask the company to explain that arrangement clearly.

If the company says the trial will improve power reliability, request an explanation of who receives that service and under what conditions. Would it serve your building, a neighboring circuit or another customer? Do not infer a promise to keep your own property powered from the presence of batteries on the land.

Discuss operating expenses that could affect you: electricity accounts, metering, insurance requirements, taxes, access maintenance and repairs. Ask which costs the company pays directly and which it expects you to cover or seek reimbursement for. Have any reimbursement process and documentation requirements explained.

Check what triggers payment if the equipment remains after testing ends. Does payment continue until departure, completion of repairs or another stated event? Compare that wording with the agreed departure and restoration timetable so the end of testing is not the only date addressed.

Agree on access and responsibility during the test

Identify the company that signs the agreement, the equipment owner and the operator. Ask who directs contractors and who you contact about a gate, damaged surface or unexpected visit. If those roles change, find out how you would be notified and who remains responsible to you.

Have the company explain its normal visits and any urgent access it needs. Will workers arrive outside business hours, cross an occupied area or use a shared entrance? Discuss notice, keys, gates and coordination with tenants or farm workers before the test starts.

Request an explanation of operating restrictions and emergency arrangements from the responsible specialists. Which areas must remain clear, who maintains them and how are nearby users informed? You should have a practical contact and reporting route without being expected to inspect or operate the battery equipment.

Have your adviser and insurer review the proposed allocation of responsibility. Ask who handles injury, property damage and investigation or restoration work, and what evidence of coverage the company provides. The fact that equipment is only visiting does not answer those questions.

Describe the condition in which the land must be returned

Before work begins, keep a dated record of the site and access route. Photographs and an agreed description can help identify existing surfaces, drainage, fencing and crops. Ask the company to acknowledge the starting condition and explain how concerns will be reported.

List what must leave: batteries, supports, fencing, cable, temporary surfacing and other installed items. If you want to keep an improvement, discuss that choice explicitly, including who maintains it afterward. Equipment departure and complete restoration are separate events.

Ask who repairs compaction, ruts, drainage changes and damage to entrances or neighboring uses. What standard will be used to decide whether the work is complete, and who checks it? Have the agreement explain how unresolved work is addressed after the test ends.

Discuss the financial backing for removal and repairs, particularly if a contractor or different company owns the equipment. Who can require the work to be completed, and what happens if the operator stops responding? Have your adviser compare the promised duties with the practical means of enforcing them.

Treat a proposal to stay permanently as another land decision

If the company later proposes a permanent installation, request the complete new layout and commercial terms. Longer occupation may involve different equipment, access, electrical routes and restrictions. Have the new proposal reviewed against the uses and future plans you want to retain.

Check whether the trial agreement already includes a long-term option, automatic conversion or rights to expand. Ask your adviser to explain those provisions before signing the trial. A successful technical test does not tell you whether the permanent arrangement is acceptable for your property.

Ask which approvals and connection steps the longer project still needs. Compare its proposed dates with option payments, the event that starts rent and the terms for ending the reservation. Keep the temporary equipment’s removal duties clear while the new proposal is being considered.

To ask Sunland about your property, begin with your contact details and its location. You can explain that you have received a temporary or permanent battery proposal and mention a relevant deadline. Acreage and parcel number are optional; an inquiry does not authorize a test, grant entry or commit you to an agreement.