After the Fire: Building Better Battery Storage

Can we build better battery storage? In January 2025, a large fire broke out at the Moss Landing battery storage site in California—one of the biggest in the world. Even though the site started running in 2020, it was built before today’s stronger safety rules for large battery systems were in place.

What Happened at Moss Landing?

The fire started in the Vistra Energy part of the battery storage facility, where numerous lithium-ion batteries were used to store extra energy from renewables like solar and wind. These batteries are extremely important, because they help provide power when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

But lithium-ion batteries can sometimes overheat in a process called “thermal runaway,” which can cause fires that are hard to put out. In this case, about 1,500 people had to leave their homes because of fears that the smoke might contain dangerous gases like hydrogen fluoride.

Firefighters decided to let the fire burn out on its own, which is often safer with this type of fire because trying to put it out too soon can make it start up again. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the fire made people worry more about how safe these large battery storage sites really are.

Steps Toward Safer Battery Storage

Battery storage has come a long way!

How are battery designs improving?

Containerized Battery Storage: The Moss Landing battery system was placed inside an old turbine hall instead of the usual big metal containers, which made things more complicated than normal.

Better Battery Technology: The Moss Landing facility used nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion batteries. New facilities use lithium iron phosphate batteries that last longer, are more stable, and are less likely to catch fire. They’re safer and more durable.

Advanced Monitoring Systems: Newer facilities have automatic shutdown systems that will turn off the batteries to prevent a fire from sparking or spreading.

The Importance of Battery Storage

Even though the risks are small, battery storage systems are super important for a clean energy future. They let us save energy from the sun and wind so we can use it later, like at night or on calm days. This helps us burn fewer fossil fuels and cut down on pollution that causes climate change. The important thing is to make sure these systems are built with strong safety rules to keep people and the planet safe.

Conclusion

The Moss Landing fire shows how important safety is as battery storage becomes more common. By learning from what happened and using better safety rules, we can keep making clean energy from the sun and wind while also keeping people and neighborhoods safe.

Take action: Share this story with friends and neighbors, and keep a close eye on our Solutions section for steps we all can take to ensure our planet is healthy for our children and grandchildren!