NFPA 855
NFPA 855 is the International Fire Code and the Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems. The standard has been set out by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in the US to ensure that BESS can be operated safely. While not explicitly required, battery modelling can be used alongside physical testing and hazard mitigation analysis (HMA) to prove that the installation will meet safety requirements. HMA is required for the standard to limit fire propagation, mitigate explosion hazards, and ensure flammable and toxic gases do not pose a threat to the community in the vicinity of the installation.
NFPA 855 outlines the minimum standards for mitigating hazards associated with the design, construction, installation, commissioning, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of a BESS installation. The NFPA 855 standards also determine what size an installation can be based on these factors and their location to buildings, public ways and hazardous materials.
Related to thermal runaway, the NFPA 855 sets out the specification requirements for the equipment, ventilation, smoke detection, fire control and suppression, and emergency planning protocols. The NFPA 855 standard also analyses the consequences of thermal runaway, gas and smoke detection failures, and ventilation failures.
