Fire risk and safety
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Why BESS insurers are sweating transformers and contractor errors over battery fires
The BESS insurance risk profile is shifting. In an exclusive interview, Tokio Marine GX underwriter Michael Carrington explains why insurers are looking past battery fires and sweating over supply chain bottlenecks, high-voltage transformers, and costly EPC integration errors.
Mar 20, 2026
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Australian regulator ramps up battery inspections
Solar battery installers have been warned to “do it once and do it well” as the number of batteries installed across Australia under the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program surges past the 250,000 milestone, delivering a combined 6.3 GWh of capacity.
Comparing safety profiles of lithium-ion, sodium-ion and solid-state batteries
New research finds that battery safety rankings are not universal but highly dependent on application scenarios, and shows that LFP batteries can emit high levels of hydrogen fluoride, challenging their reputation as the “safest” chemistry.
Hithium says ‘world’s first’ open-door first test of its 6.25 MWH BESS was completed
Hithium has released results from a large-scale fire safety test of its 6.25 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) it calls "∞Power". The so-called open-door test, supervised by UL Solutions, subjected the unit to maximum oxygen supply conditions to evaluate thermal runaway risks in high-capacity 1175 Ah cells.
Trina Storage’s Elementa 2 Pro passes large-scale fire safety and propagation tests
Trina Storage has released results from a large-scale fire safety test of its Elementa 2 Pro battery energy storage system (BESS). The test, certified by TÜV Rheinland, utilized separation distances below standard requirements to evaluate thermal propagation risks.
Australian solar installer fined $6,000 over unsafe battery installs
A solar installation company has been fined AU$9,000 ($6,000) by a Victorian court after pleading guilty to unsafe installation of residential battery energy storage systems at five properties, including one that caused a minor house fire.
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All Fire risk and safety news
Solar and battery-equipped home destroyed by explosion in Germany
In the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, an explosion tore away the outer wall of a show home equipped with solar panels and a residential battery. The badly-damaged building, which was vacant at the time of the incident, will likely be demolished.
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German court rules Senec dealer must refund cost of reduced-capacity home battery
Judges at Bielefeld Regional Court ruled the maximum 70% operating capacity of the home battery – while replacement lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) cells are awaited – is a material defect. Senec is appealing against the ruling.
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Incidents similar to Moss Landing battery fire are unlikely but stricter regulations proposed
Battery safety has come a long way since the construction of the 300 MW first phase of Vistra Energy's Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California which caught fire on January 16. From the choice of chemistry, fire detection and supression mechanisms, to stricter codes and standards, the vast majority of today's large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) does not have much in common with the affected project deployed in a former turbine hall.
Energy Vault inks deal to use batteries to store excess nuclear energy
Under the new partnership, the Californian company will provide its B-Vault battery energy storage systems (BESS) to back NuSun mini reactors at data centers. It will also provide its VaultOS energy management system and even draw on its gravity energy storage R&D to help in the composition of the reactor containment structures.
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