Battery energy storage systems

Context

Grid-scale battery storage is being built faster than the codes that govern it. Thermal runaway, flammable gas generation, and deflagration risk sit outside conventional building fire safety. The engineering has to reach directly for the physics and the emerging international guidance.

My role

I was the fire safety engineer preparing fire risk and consequence assessments supporting development approvals for BESS facilities.

Approach

• Consequence modelling of thermal-runaway scenarios and their effects on exposures.
• Assessment of separation distances to site boundaries and adjacent hazards.
• Review of deflagration venting and gas management provisions.
• Benchmarking against emerging guidance, including NFPA 855 and manufacturer test data.

Outcome

Hazard assessments that gave consent authorities a defensible technical basis to approve new storage capacity.