Let It Burn White Paper
Why “Let-it-burn” Is Not An Effective
Approach To Battery Energy Storage
Systems
A “let-it-burn” approach focuses on managing fire conditions only after ignition has occurred.
However, most battery energy storage system (BESS) incidents start much earlier. They develop over time, beginning with abnormal operating conditions and progressing through system-level failures before ignition ever occurs. By the time a fire starts, your best opportunity to intervene has already passed.
This paper examines how suppression-only fire protection strategies fall short. Even when a fire suppression system acts as designed, hazards can still develop within the system and opportunities exist to stop escalation before potential thermal runaway.
Let It Burn
What’s inside the paper
Let-it-burn is not a solution.
In response to high-profile incidents over the last decade, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) introduced several standards to address BESS operation and fire protection. Enter NFPA 855, NFPA 1, and NFPA 70.
However, these standards are sometimes interpreted in ways that suggest allowing a BESS fire to burn without suppression is acceptable—the so-called “let-it-burn” approach.
That interpretation misses the bigger picture.
Analyses of publicly reported battery energy storage system (BESS) incidents indicate that the majority of incidents—frequently estimated at approximately 89%—originate outside of the battery cells themselves, often involving balance-of-system components such as electrical infrastructure, controls, or integration-related issues.
Focusing solely on post-ignition response fails to address these earlier stages, where intervention is most effective.
This creates an opportunity for battery energy storage system manufacturers, developers, and owners by using a layered approach based on prevention, detection, and suppression.
Read the white paper to learn more about:
- Background on BESS fire incidents
- NFPA 1 requirements
- NFPA 855 requirements
- The problem with a “Let-It-Burn” approach
- A layered approach to clean energy fire protection
Speak with a fire protection expert.
Learn how electrical faults and abnormal operating conditions escalate into fire events—and how layered protection strategies interrupt that progression.
