ESS fire codes explained 🔥

Top ESS code takeaway from NABCEP 2024 CE

              

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Top ESS code takeaway from NABCEP 2024 CE

The difference between UL 9540 and 9540A As battery costs decline and grid reliability issues persist, attachment rates (the rate at which solar PV systems are installed with energy storage) are going up. And as deployment increases, so does the intensity with which we scrutinize battery safety. That brings us to the topic of this article, UL 9540, a safety standard for the construction, manufacturing, and performance testing of grid-tied energy storage systems (ESS). UL 9540 is the measuring stick for ESS safety in the U.S. In the sections that follow, we’ll cover how products receive UL 9540 certification, what’s included in the standard, and the details of the 9540A test process. What is UL 9540 listing? In 2016, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) introduced the first edition of UL 9540 as the Standard for Safety of Energy Storage Systems and Equipment. Since then, the International Fire Code (IFC), International Building Code (IBC), and NFPA 1 and NFPA 855 fire codes have all required that electrochemical ESS be listed to UL 9540. 2023 NFPA 855 | 15.2 Equipment Listings. ESS shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 9540. The standard defines electrical, mechanical, fluid containment, environmental performance, and system safety tests for energy storage systems. Note that this is a system-level standard, meaning that all components that make up an ESS must be tested together. If an ESS were comprised of a battery (listed to its component-level standard, UL 1973) and a battery inverter (listed to yet another standard, UL 1741) packaged and designed to work together as an energy storage system, they must be tested and listed as such. This ensures that safety is retained at an integrated system level.    Read More

Takeaways from NABCEP 2024 CE: Crucial code insight, solar installer ethics The most packed session I attended covered ESS fire codes, and a lot of what was learned can be summed up with this warning: Do not trust product data sheets for UL 9540 compliance.  Read More

Fire safety code conundrums continue for battery suppliers Manufacturers of batteries for stationary energy storage are facing a moving target for fire safety code as written by the leading U.S. defining body for fire safety, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  Read More

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UL Solutions adds Frequency Regulation Modeling to battery system design tool Battery energy storage system (BESS) stakeholders can model most electricity markets worldwide, including frequency regulation, capacity markets and real-time energy markets.  Read More

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