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15th April 2026
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Battery storage technology has rapidly advanced in recent years, to the extent that it’s become a viable way for individuals to sell electricity back into the grid. As much bluster as there has been about slowing the green energy transition, adoption of wind and solar power is still increasing at pace. What’s more, battery storage is fundamental to ensuring energy from intermittent sources such as wind and solar is stored and not wasted.
When it comes to high capacity batteries, though, there are inevitably questions about fire safety. With lithium-ion batteries still the go-to choice—a technology we’ve written about before—the fire safety of these devices is a legitimate question, and something that needs to be mitigated against, both in energy facilities and for home use.
Battery storage systems have become increasingly common in both residential and commercial settings. On a small scale, homeowners have begun to use battery packs like the Tesla Powerwall to store energy for use during peak hours or outages. Even in the UK (not known for being sun-drenched), domestic solar panels are becoming significantly more popular. Already having the capacity to pay themselves off after about 10 years, battery storage can improve this value proposition, and allow for significant periods of free energy.
It’s at the utility level where batteries have the most long-term potential, however. Large-scale battery storage farms can store megawatts of energy, maximising the efficiency of ‘always on’ electricity generation like wind and hydro power. This ability to tap into battery storage capacity can help to stabilise power grids at points of peak demand, and reduce our reliance on ‘peaker plants’, which typically use natural gas to provide an emergency power ‘top-up’.
The growth of electric vehicles (EVs) has gone some way to accelerating innovation in battery technology. Battery costs have fallen even as concerns have been raised about the sustainability of required materials, and battery efficiency has steadily improved. Lithium-ion batteries, prized for their high energy density and long life, have become the dominant technology in energy storage, while new types of battery are currently in development.
It’s likely that you’re very familiar with this style of battery. Lithium-ion batteries are used in everything from mobile phones and laptops to electric cars—and come with their own legacy of safety issues. For as widely used as they are and as much as the technology has matured, there are fairly frequent incidents of thermal runaway, fires, and explosions linked to lithium-ion batteries—the consequences of which only increase when scaled up to large industrial battery storage systems.
Lithium-ion batteries, while efficient and compact, do carry inherent fire risks. One of the most significant dangers is thermal runaway, a condition where an increase in temperature causes a reaction that further raises the temperature, often leading to a fire or explosion. This is most typically triggered by physical damage, and is the reason batteries in consumer devices are so well protected, to the extent that many can no longer be removed without completely taking the device apart. However, malfunctions are also a common result of manufacturing defects, overcharging, or exposure to high heat.
Battery fires are particularly dangerous because they’re difficult to extinguish, and can release toxic gases. Traditional fire suppression methods such as water or foam may be ineffective or even hazardous when applied to lithium-ion battery fires, given that they involve an electrical device. These incidents can quickly escalate, while the portability of many lithium-ion devices means fires can happen anywhere, posing a serious threat to nearby people, property, and critical infrastructure.
Several high-profile incidents have underscored these risks. In 2019, a fire at a grid-scale battery facility in Arizona injured several firefighters and raised concerns about the preparedness of emergency responders. In South Korea, a spate of battery fires prompted a government investigation, and the temporary suspension of numerous energy storage projects. More recently, fires in car battery systems have made headlines, highlighting the challenges of ensuring safe operation in both stationary and mobile contexts.
The risk is naturally amplified in larger installations, where multiple battery units are stored in close proximity. In such settings, a fire in one unit can quickly spread to adjacent units, creating a cascading failure that is difficult to control. The confined nature of many battery storage environments makes firefighting efforts even more challenging—and magnifies the importance of properly protecting these facilities, and mitigating the risks.
Despite the dangers, battery storage is likely to be fundamental to a future of cleaner energy production. This isn’t an existential problem, but it does mean that we need to prepare now to ensure it’s deployed safely, and not rushed in without careful consideration and planning. This starts with adopting a comprehensive approach to fire risk mitigation—not only through looking to develop better battery management systems and improving manufacturing standards where possible, but also a framework that individuals and businesses can adopt for battery fire protection.
One of the most effective ways to enhance fire safety in a battery storage facility is through passive fire protection. Passive fire protection systems are designed to contain fires and prevent them from spreading, buying valuable time for evacuation and emergency response. Given the potential for battery fires to start suddenly, run particularly hot, and cause explosions, Durasteel fire and blast barriers are likely to play a central role. Functioning in the same capacity as existing transformer barriers, Durasteel barriers can help both to prevent the spread of fire between areas of a storage facility, and prevent localised damage from battery explosions.
Our specialised battery storage rooms could also be deployed at scale for large battery storage facilities. These can be used to isolate and protect critical control rooms and battery enclosures, either encasing an entire battery storage area, or allowing for compartmentation of storage areas. This could ensure that some part of a battery storage facility and its capacity remains protected from the effects of a fire or blast, ensuring that not all of the stored energy is lost, and contributed to an escalating fire.
While passive fire protection is likely to be most useful for smaller facilities, active fire protection measures should also be employed. Fire detection systems such as VESDA (very early smoke detection apparatus) allows for early detection of heat or smoke, alerting operators to potential issues before they escalate. Specialised fire suppression systems using clean agents or aerosol-based systems can also replace traditional water-based methods to combat battery fires.
Beyond this, there’s increasing scope for dedicated battery management systems (BMS). Using AI, sensors and computer analytics, sophisticated monitoring systems can detect power imbalances, overcharging, and other anomalies that could lead to thermal runaway, and adaptively change battery usage to minimise risks. Proper ventilation and cooling is also critical, with temperature levels within battery enclosures kept low enough to reduce the chances of overheating, particularly with global temperatures on the rise.
The advancement of battery storage technology is continuing apace, and will be essential if we’re going to achieve a low-carbon energy future. However, it needs to be pursued with an equal commitment to safety, and an acceptance of the risks associated with batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries. As the number and scale of battery storage installations continue to rise, so too does the importance of understanding and mitigating fire risks.
Passive fire protection systems like Durasteel barriers, along with active suppression technologies and strong regulatory frameworks, can provide the industry at large with the structure and assurance we need to ensure these facilities stay safe. By being proactive about battery fire safety now, we can harness the inarguable benefits of battery storage—and minimise the risks to people and property as well as the environment.
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