A few years ago, hardly anyone had heard the term “battery storage facility”.

Today, they’re being built across America at a remarkable pace.

These massive installations—some the size of several football fields—store electricity generated from solar farms and wind turbines so it can be released when demand is high or renewable energy isn’t available.

Supporters say they’re essential for building a more reliable electrical grid.

They’re probably right.

But as these facilities become increasingly common, another conversation has quietly begun among firefighters, environmental scientists, emergency planners, and especially nearby residents.

What happens if something goes wrong?

It’s a question worth asking—not because battery storage is inherently dangerous, but because every new technology deserves careful evaluation as it becomes part of our communities.

That’s especially true when these facilities are being proposed near homes, schools, parks, and businesses.

What Exactly Is A Battery Storage Facility?

When most people hear the word “battery,” they think of the one under the hood of their car or the rechargeable battery inside a laptop or smartphone.

Battery storage facilities are something entirely different.

Imagine hundreds—or even thousands—of large lithium-ion batteries housed inside rows of metal containers about the size of shipping containers. These large battery banks act as energy reservoirs, storing excess power produced during off-peak hours or whenever renewable energy sources generate more electricity than the grid requires at that moment.

Later, when demand rises—such as on a hot summer afternoon when millions of air conditioners are running—that stored electricity can be released back into the grid in a matter of seconds.

In many ways, these facilities function like giant rechargeable batteries for entire communities.

Supporters say they’re an important part of modernizing America’s electrical grid, helping to reduce power outages and making renewable energy more reliable. As demand for electricity continues to climb—driven not only by electric vehicles but also by artificial intelligence, data centers, and the growing number of homes and businesses powered by electricity—experts expect many more battery storage facilities to be built in the years ahead.

From an energy perspective, that makes a great deal of sense.

But as with any rapidly expanding technology, it’s equally important to understand the challenges that can come with it. And that’s where the conversation becomes especially interesting.

What Are the New Safety Concerns?

The majority of these battery storage systems operate safely every day. But when a problem does occur, it can present challenges unlike those associated with a typical electrical fire.

Firefighters have a name for one of the biggest concerns: thermal runaway. If a lithium-ion battery is damaged or overheats, the heat can spread from one battery cell to the next. What begins as a single failure can quickly grow into a much larger event that’s difficult to control.

Unlike many conventional fires, battery storage fires may continue generating intense heat long after the flames appear to be out. In some documented incidents, damaged battery cells have reignited hours—or even days—later, requiring firefighters to monitor the site long after the initial emergency has passed.

It’s not only the fire itself that concerns emergency responders. Depending on the battery chemistry and the conditions of the incident, burning batteries may release fine particulate matter and irritating gases into the air.

One 2026 study took a closer look at what was left behind after lithium-ion battery fires. Researchers found potentially harmful gases in the air, along with contaminants in the water that drained away after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

A Real-World Wake-Up Call

These concerns aren’t just theoretical.

In January 2025, a fire broke out at the Moss Landing Battery Energy Storage Facility in California—one of the largest battery storage installations in the world. The incident prompted evacuation orders for more than 1,000 nearby residents, closed local roads and schools, and drew national attention to the unique challenges posed by large-scale lithium-ion battery fires.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded by conducting extensive air monitoring, testing for substances such as hydrogen fluoride and fine particulate matter. The encouraging news is that the agency reported no air contaminants were detected above levels considered harmful to public health during its emergency monitoring.

Even so, the event underscored how seriously these incidents are taken. In the months that followed, the EPA described the removal of damaged batteries from the site as the largest lithium-ion battery cleanup in the agency’s history.

Did You Know?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and fire departments across the country have all developed specialized guidance for responding to lithium-ion battery energy storage incidents. The fact that these organizations are investing significant resources into new response protocols highlights how different these facilities can be from traditional electrical equipment.

The Cancer Question We Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Ask

Could battery storage facilities affect long-term cancer risk? It’s a fair question.

There was a time when few people questioned asbestos.

Or benzene.

Or secondhand cigarette smoke.

In each case, it took years—and sometimes decades—for the science to catch up with what many people were already observing.

One of the things I’ve learned after more than 40 years studying cancer is that cancer doesn’t usually develop because of one event or one exposure. More often, it’s the result of many factors working together over time—our environment, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the chemicals we’re exposed to, our diet, our lifestyle, and the health of our immune system.

As battery storage facilities become more common, researchers are working to better understand what happens when these large lithium-ion systems fail or catch fire.

They have found that they can release a complex mixture of airborne pollutants, including ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen fluoride, and trace metals. While emergency officials work to minimize public exposure, scientists are continuing to study what these releases may mean for firefighters, emergency personnel, nearby residents, and the environment over the long term.

The Bottom Line

New technologies are arriving at a pace few of us could have imagined just a generation ago. We shouldn’t wait 20 or 30 years to begin asking thoughtful questions about the technologies we’re introducing into our communities.

Here at the Templeton Wellness Foundation, we believe that asking those questions is one of the most important things we can do.

Today’s questions often become tomorrow’s discoveries. That’s why we’re committed to following the science, exploring new ideas, and sharing what we learn—always with the goal of helping people make more informed decisions about their health.