California legislation sets new safety standards for battery storage
Image: blmcalifornia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
From ESS News
Earlier this autumn, California Governor Gavin Newsom enacted the fire safety-focused Senate Bill 283, which is poised to reshape the state’s energy storage deployment and overhaul governmental oversight.
The law, which was put forward following the Moss Landing fire in February 2025, requires developers to meet with local fire authorities before submitting project applications and after installation, aligning project design with safety standards such as NFPA 855.
The bill underscores the growing need to prioritize safety as a key part of energy storage system (ESS) design and operation. According to Lennart Hinrichs, the executive vice president and general manager, Americas, at battery analytics software company TWAICE, it’s also critical for the private sector to recognize that system risks evolve over time.
Reliability often follows a bathtub curve, he explained. Although early issues often stem from defects during manufacturing or controls, potential problems change as a system ages.