NFPA Journal - July/August 2019 - 24

Research by Casey Grant

THE FIRE
PROTECTION
RESEARCH
FOUNDATION

Wake-Up Call
THE EXPLOSION OF AN ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM IN ARIZONA PROMPTS A RENEWED
URGENCY FOR RESEARCH INTO THIS RAPIDLY EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

he battery explosion in
inside these batteries, as well as clear fireApril that injured eight
fighting tactics and strategies.
firefighters in Surprise,
NFPA and the Fire Protection Research
Arizona, illustrates how
Foundation (FPRF) have multiple activifar we still have to go to
ties underway to begin addressing these
address the safety of electrical energy
needs. These include the development of
storage systems (ESS) as the technology
ESS training material for the fire service,
continues to spread across the globe. For
as well as a new standard, NFPA 855,
researchers everywhere, the incident
Standard for the Installation of Stationary
should serve as a wake-up call.
Energy Storage Systems, due out this year.
Like many batteries being installed,
Several important research efforts are
the large lithium-ion ESS unit in Surprise
ongoing. This spring, the FPRF published
was used to provide extra storage to the
the results of full-scale fire testing
electrical power grid for use during
conducted to validate the effectiveness of
With ESS units
times of high demand. By all indicaESS sprinkler protection. We have shared
everywhere, safety
tions, the battery was state of the art;
the results of a study on safe post-incident
experts are rightly
it was designed, installed, and operated
handling of batteries that still contain
concerned about the
according to the best available science.
stranded electrical energy. In 2020, we
outcome if something
When the fire department was called
and our partners will share the results of
goes wrong.
after smoke began rising from the unit,
a comprehensive study on ESS hazards,
those on scene seemed to take approincluding a focus on over-pressure explopriate measures. The unit was isolated
sion events like the one in Arizona.
from the electrical grid, and a hazardous
So much activity is underway because
materials team began monitoring the site
these systems are coming online very
from the exterior in coordination with the facility operators.
quickly. ESS adoption has surged worldwide to support the
After waiting several hours, onsite readings suggested that proliferation of renewable energy sources and to help utilithe hazard was not subsiding, and so the fire department posi- ties balance out the challenging peaks and valleys inherent in
tioned a hose line and opened an access door to the battery in electrical grids. In some jurisdictions, there is significant polithopes that the vapors and smoke would dissipate. They never ical pressure to get these systems installed as soon as possible.
entered. Minutes after opening the door, with little warning, Increasingly, individuals and businesses are also eyeing battery
a violent explosion occurred, sending eight firefighters to the storage as part of their energy strategies. As such, ESS of all sizes,
hospital, some with life-threatening injuries.
types, and uses are popping up everywhere, including dense city
With so much at stake, significant efforts are now being made centers and even in mechanical areas on the upper floors of highto understand what happened in Arizona and why. Many unre- rise buildings. These developments have safety experts rightly
solved questions remain, including what caused the explosion concerned about the outcome if something goes wrong. What
and whether it could have been handled more effectively.
if an explosion like the one in Arizona had occurred, not in the
From a research perspective, the answers are crucial so that desert, but in a densely settled urban location?
we can guard against similar incidents. Fire protection profesWorking with manufacturers, installers, responders, and
sionals are still looking for built-in fire protection features others, it's our responsibility to ensure that we never have
for ESS that will realistically protect against fire, explosion, to find out.
electrical, and contamination hazards. We also need reliable
mechanisms to monitor and understand what is happening Casey Grant is executive director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation.

24 | NFPA JOURNAL * J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

MICHAEL HOEWELER

NFPA Journal - July/August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2019