What the Hatfield records show
Convergent’s March 2025 announcement describes a planned battery serving Clemens Food Group’s Hatfield facility. It says Convergent would finance, own and operate the system to reduce the facility’s electricity costs. The expected 2026 start is a forecast, not confirmation of operation.
The township’s January 30, 2025 zoning agenda lists case Z24-14 at 2700 Clemens Road. It identifies a request for relief from the LI district yard rule because the proposed battery would be within 200 feet of residential districts. The agenda lists a decision item; it does not supply the decision or its conditions.
These records raise practical questions for an owner considering a battery beside an operating business. They do not establish the terms of the Clemens agreements, a current search for more land or permission for a different property. Ask the company approaching you to explain its own proposal in writing.
Reference: Convergent: March 20, 2025 Clemens facility announcement · Hatfield Township: January 30, 2025 zoning agenda, Z24-14
Separate land payments from electricity savings
If you own the property but a tenant pays the electricity bill, a lower bill may benefit the tenant rather than you. Ask whether the offer includes rent for the battery area, a share of savings, another payment or some combination. Put each payment beside the party receiving it.
Ask how any savings-based payment would be calculated. Which bill, period and charges would be compared? Who can see the underlying records? What happens if production slows, operating hours change or the tenant switches its electricity supply arrangement?
A fixed land payment and a projected reduction in an electricity bill are different promises. Identify any minimum payment, the date it starts and what happens during an extended shutdown. Have your adviser compare the land agreement with the energy service agreement rather than reviewing either in isolation.
If you occupy the property yourself, still separate your roles as owner and electricity customer. Ask what remains payable for the land if you later sell the business, lease the building or close a production line.
| Role | Question to settle |
|---|---|
| Property owner | What is paid for the land and continuing rights? |
| Electricity customer | Who receives savings and supplies billing information? |
| Battery operator | Who owns, maintains and removes the equipment? |
| Future occupant | What obligations could continue after a tenant change? |
Identify the meter and the rights to change it
Ask for a drawing showing the battery, the relevant meter, electrical equipment and cable route. Which company holds the electricity account, and whose consent is needed for changes to the service? A tenant’s access to an account does not by itself settle the owner’s consent to work on the property.
Discuss whether the battery would serve the existing business, export electricity or do both. Ask which connection studies and utility approvals the proposed operation requires. Do not assume an existing service connection can accommodate a different use.
Ask who can control charging and discharging, and what limits protect the business’s operations. If the project is described as backup power, request a specific explanation of what equipment it would supply, for how long and under what conditions. A system intended to manage electricity costs does not establish a backup-power promise.
Set a process for an outage needed to install or maintain equipment. Identify the notice, responsible contact and affected services. The business and landowner should understand the interruption before it becomes a construction deadline.
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landCheck the residential district boundary on the drawing
Hatfield’s posted LI yard rule measures separation from a residential district, not just from a nearby house. Ask the project team to put the district boundary and the proposed structures on the same drawing. A house farther away does not answer where that zoning boundary lies.
The posted LI use provisions include special-exception routes. Ask the township how the particular battery use would be classified, and which relief and land-development reviews would be needed. A request involving a yard rule is not a complete statement of every permission required.
If the company cites Z24-14, request the written decision and approved plan. Identify the property, equipment and conditions covered. If your parcel or proposal differs, ask which parts of the example are relevant and which need a separate determination.
Keep landscaping and access areas on the land drawing. Who can use them, who maintains them and could they interfere with parking, deliveries or future building work? The occupied battery pad may be only part of the property affected.
Reference: Hatfield Township: LI district use and yard regulations · Hatfield Township: January 30, 2025 zoning agenda, Z24-14
Plan for the business tenant to leave
Ask what happens if the electricity customer’s lease ends before the battery agreement. Can a replacement tenant take over the service arrangement? Must it use the same meter or consume a certain amount of electricity? Who pays while the building is vacant?
Check whether the battery operator can keep equipment and access rights even after the business stops using the service. Identify the event that permits removal, who pays for it and what the restored area must look like. Do not rely on the business lease to answer a separate equipment agreement.
If the building is sold, ask which agreements a buyer would have to accept and which consents would be needed. Keep the battery area, utility rights and any continuing obligations available for a buyer’s review.
Discuss changes in ownership of the operator as well. Who sends notices, handles damage claims and remains responsible for removal? Ask how that responsibility is carried forward when an agreement is transferred.
Ask about your Hatfield property
Use the form to send your name, email and phone, then the property location. Pennsylvania and Montgomery County are starting selections you can change. Acreage and a parcel number are optional.
Mention whether the property has an operating business, a tenant or an existing battery offer. If you know who pays the electricity bill, include that detail. You can inquire without uploading private billing records or preparing a technical plan.
Sunland can review the information and may follow up. Sending an inquiry does not reserve the land or authorize work. A potential arrangement still needs its own property, connection, permitting and commercial review.
Questions landowners ask
Does the Clemens announcement mean other Hatfield land is needed?
No. It describes a named facility proposal. It does not establish additional land demand or that another property qualifies.
Would electricity savings automatically go to the landowner?
No. Identify who pays the electricity bill and who receives each payment under the proposed agreements. Land rent and business electricity savings need separate explanations.
Does the January 2025 agenda prove zoning approval?
No. It lists a requested variance and a decision item. Obtain the written decision, conditions and approved drawings before relying on the outcome.
What if the business tenant leaves?
Ask how vacancy or a new electricity customer affects payments, operation, continuing land rights and equipment removal. Resolve those terms before signing.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-07. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.