Safety fears rise as battery storage projects are sited near homes

Residents, local politicians and campaigners are raising fresh safety concerns as proposals for large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are increasingly sited close to homes, gas stations and other populated areas.

"It makes absolutely zero sense why, now, these facilities are being sited practically in people's backyards, and next to gas stations, all over Staten Island," said Robert Holden, a New York City councillor, arguing the city is "playing with fire" by allowing more storage centres near residential neighbourhoods. Similar protests have emerged in the UK, where communities are fighting planned BESS projects on safety and environmental grounds.

Industry groups and energy experts say BESS are essential to integrate expanding solar and wind generation into power systems, but they acknowledge risks that have fuelled public alarm. SolarPower Europe said around 1.9 gigawatt-hours of new battery storage capacity was installed in Europe last year — roughly enough to power 4,000 homes — and that total European capacity, currently about 75 gigawatt-hours, will need to rise to about 750 gigawatt-hours by 2030 to match renewables deployment.

"For the moment, in the European Union, what we are looking at is that we should increase battery deployments by a factor of 10," said Driese Acke, deputy chief executive of SolarPower Europe. He and other industry figures contend the pace of build-out must accelerate to meet net-zero targets and to store surplus renewable generation for periods of high demand.

At the same time, high-profile fires at BESS facilities have increased scrutiny of where and how the systems are sited. A battery storage fire in Essex, England, in February required almost 24 hours to extinguish, while a 2020 blaze in Liverpool took about 59 hours to bring under control. In January, a fire at one of the world's largest BESS plants in northern California forced the evacuation of about 1,500 people and led to the temporary closure of a major highway.

Experts point to thermal runaway as the main mechanism behind many BESS fires. The phenomenon can be triggered by short-circuits, physical damage, manufacturing defects or other failures that allow heat-producing chemical reactions to propagate within battery cells, releasing flammable and toxic gases and potentially leading to explosions. Facilities that contain millions of cells in close proximity can see fires spread rapidly if containment or separation measures are inadequate.

A recent review of large-scale BESS fires in the United States since 2012 found that emissions from such incidents are largely confined to the immediate vicinity of the fire, though local air and water contamination remain concerns for affected communities and emergency responders.

Researchers say alternatives to lithium-ion electrochemical storage are available but limited in scale. Robert Dryfe, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Manchester, pointed to cryogenic storage — where air is chilled to liquid form and later expanded to drive turbines — and pumped hydro systems, which release water from higher reservoirs to generate power. He described both as "fairly niche devices" that currently cannot match the flexibility and scalability of battery systems.

"So really to keep pace with the increasing deployment of renewables it's hard to see beyond electrochemical storage mechanisms," Prof. Dryfe said, while also warning that recycling facilities for spent batteries can pose their own fire hazards during disassembly and processing. Environmental and humanitarian concerns about mining materials such as cobalt add further complications to scaling battery deployment.

Local campaigners have pressed developers and authorities for stricter siting rules, transparency and clearer emergency plans. In Aberdeenshire, Scotland, residents are opposing a proposed BESS installation by Blackford Renewables at Rothienorman. "They don't have any consideration for the residents that live outside their red line around their property, they don't take the residents into consideration for flood risk or fire," said campaigner Marguerite Fleming.

A Blackford Renewables spokesperson said the company is still refining its proposals and "takes local concerns about fire safety very seriously," adding that it plans to use advanced technology, fire safety systems and close coordination with emergency services.

Calls for harmonised regulation have grown louder as national standards vary. "From our point of view, it's important to have it harmonised as far as possible, because certainly in the European Union there is no such thing as an EU-wide standard for the quality and maintenance of battery assets," Driese Acke said, noting that battery deployment policies and safety rules remain largely national and can impede a unified market for BESS.

Countries including China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are developing technical guidelines for BESS installations, and industry and researchers report steady improvements in battery safety through better suppression systems, enhanced monitoring, stricter manufacturing standards and more fire-resistant chemistries.

Prof. Dryfe said the tension between safety concerns and the need for grid-scale storage reflects a broader energy transition challenge. "We are using more renewable energy, and that means more grid scale storage — and so basically I don't think we've got any choice," he said.

As governments and utilities plan rapid expansion of battery capacity to balance renewable generation, regulators, developers and emergency services face pressure to ensure that siting decisions, construction standards and end-of-life management reduce risks to nearby communities while enabling the storage needed for a low-carbon power system.