Is home energy storage safe

Altogether, like other electric grid infrastructure, energy storage systems are highly regulated and there are established safety designs, features, and practices proven to eliminate risks to operators, firefighters, and the broader community.

However, even though few incidents with domestic battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are known in the public domain, questions have been raised regarding the safety of these systems. The concern is based on the large energy content within these systems.

Despite the uncertainty of future economics, the trend is clear: energy storage is here to stay. The high capital expenditure, long storage system lifespans, and uncertain policy changes make costs uncertain, but the still-falling costs and exponential increase in capacity demonstrate this.

Utility-scale battery energy storage is safe and highly regulated, growing safer as technology advances and as regulations adopt the most up-to-date safety standards. Discover more about energy storage & safety at EnergyStorage.org

Energy storage systems (ESS) are critical to a clean and efficient electric grid, storing clean energy and enabling its use when it is needed. Installation is accelerating rapidly—as of Q3 2023, there was seven times more utility-scale energy storage capacity operating than at the end of 2020.

FACTS: Energy storage battery fires are decreasing as a percentage of deployments. Between 2017 and 2022, U.S. energy storage deployments increased by more than 18 times, from 645 MWh to 12,191 MWh1, while worldwide safety events over the same period increased by a much smaller number, from two to 12.