Simply final fall, the state legislature handed, and Governor Maura Healey signed into regulation, a invoice titled An Act selling a clear vitality grid, advancing fairness, and defending ratepayers, known as the 2024 Vitality Act. This laws places an awesome emphasis on industrial measurement battery vitality storage techniques (BESS) as part of our state’s vitality future. Because of this, Massachusetts is ill-prepared for the avalanche of large battery tasks which are about to begin hitting across the state, or in some instances, have already got. Regardless of being a part of the brand new regulation, current steering from the Division of Environmental Safety (DEP) is woefully insufficient.
A standard industrial battery is 1 MW or 4 MWh, and the batteries in query are every the scale of 40-foot tractor trailers. Below the 2024 Vitality Act, 3,500 or extra of those giants are resulting from arrive across the state over the subsequent two years or so. The place they’ll all go is anyone’s guess as we’re already seeing proposals popping up across the state. At this measurement, they’ll largely be sited in massive teams of 40 or extra.
Each group of those batteries is a critical security threat resulting from their means to spontaneously ignite and even explode. This reality is acknowledged within the Vitality Act, because it directed the DEP to develop steering on the general public well being, security, and environmental impacts of electrical battery storage.
Whereas the newest steering was issued simply this August, it’s unsuitable for the enormous battery instances we are actually seeing in Massachusetts. The error in steering is easy; the Fireplace Security part of the steering is predicated on the Nationwide Fireplace Safety Affiliation (NFPA) Commonplace 855, “Commonplace for the Set up of Stationary Vitality Storage Methods.” This normal is for small batteries, not the enormous batteries and battery complexes which are about to be constructed across the state.
By means of scale the NFPA Commonplace 855 is proscribed to batteries with an vitality storage capability of fifty kilowatt-hours (kWh) or much less. Such a battery may be used for emergency blackout safety in an workplace constructing. Nonetheless, every of the state’s Vitality Act batteries is prone to have a capability of 4,000 kWh (equal to 4 MWh) or extra.
Big batteries 80 occasions greater than Commonplace 855 permits should not adequately coated by that normal. Sadly, as of but there aren’t any nationwide requirements for batteries of this scale.
In some points, making use of 855 could be catastrophically unsuitable. For instance, 855 says that when there are a number of batteries, they need to be three toes aside so if one burns it is not going to ignite its neighbors. That tiny spacing would supply no safety within the case of the enormous batteries being mandated in Massachusetts.
The best threat with these big batteries is {that a} single battery burning has the potential to set your complete advanced on hearth. The Division of Vitality Sources (DOER) has issued a Request for Proposals for Vitality Act batteries that in impact, specifies that tasks have at the very least 40 batteries and will have as much as 1,000. The opportunity of disaster is simple.
DEP and DOER have to develop new steering that adequately addresses hearth security in these coming large battery complexes. NFPA 855 offers a place to begin so far as the matters are involved, however the necessities for Vitality Act large batteries will after all be rather more intensive.
For instance, 855 contains the subject “Thermal Runaway Propagation Safety Methods.” Right here, thermal runaway refers to a battery spontaneously catching hearth and propagation means then setting different batteries on hearth. Stopping propagation usually requires making use of huge portions of water over lengthy intervals of time to maintain the neighboring batteries cool as a result of these batteries burn extremely scorching and the chemical hearth can’t be put out, typically for a number of days. In addition they embody “Explosion Management Methods.”
NFPA 855 additionally contains the subject of “Emergency Response Plans.” This could embody specialised hazardous materials hearth coaching for firefighters and different first responders as these large battery chemical fires are distinctive. Who ought to be educated can be an enormous difficulty. If a big multi-battery advanced goes up in flames, the variety of responders may very well be very massive, not simply the native hearth division and medical providers.
There additionally must be plans for evacuation and in-place sheltering that are clearly communicated upfront to the local people. Within the current Moss Touchdown battery hearth in California, over 1,500 folks had been evacuated in a comparatively rural setting. That fireside concerned round 350 batteries and the DOER RFP permits for a lot bigger complexes in Massachusetts.
The federal Environmental Safety Company not too long ago printed “Battery Vitality Storage Methods (BESS): Primary Concerns for Secure Set up and Incident Response” supposed for these large batteries. Two vital concerns discovered are these: “Communities ought to seek the advice of BESS security consultants when contemplating and designing installations,” and “Consider the necessity for neighborhood shelter-in-place or evacuation, relying on the incident and web site.”
DEP and DOER should develop complete steering and apply it to the awards below the current RFP. Massachusetts communities want to grasp and put together for the security dangers offered by these coming large battery amenities. Widespread sense would inform you no awards ought to be made till that is executed.
Laurie Belsito is the Coverage Director at Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance
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