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.