Natl. Fire Protection Assn. releases new energy storage system fact sheet

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released a new energy storage systems (ESS) safety fact sheet.

The release comes as the Biden Administration prepares a “Clean Energy Revolution,” including a proposed investment of $400 billion over 10 years in clean energy initiatives. “With more and more countries, states, and communities putting forth zero emissions deadlines, tax breaks and other changes, NFPA developed the at-a-glance Energy Storage Systems Safety Fact Sheet,” according to an association news release.

The resource outlines key points identified in NFPA ESS training, NFPA 855, Standard for the Installation of Energy Storage Systems, and multiple related materials. The document contains information regarding:

· The advantages of supplemental service, peak-shaving, load-leveling, and uninterruptible power supply

· Hazards such as thermal runaway, stranded energy, toxic and flammable gases, deep-seated fires, mechanical/thermal/electrical abuse and environmental impacts

· Designer/contractor considerations for safety – explosion protection/prevention, fire protection systems, battery management systems, and ESS spacing

· Permitting checklist for authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs)

· Pre-incident planning and emergency operations planning highlights

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.