BESS Safety: EPRI Finds 98% Drop in Failure Rates — What Buyers Should Check in 2026

By Daniyal, Jingye New Energy. Published October 10, 2026.

Safety is still the first question most buyers ask about battery storage. Planning boards ask it, insurers ask it and factory owners ask it before they put a battery next to a production line. On 5 October 2026, the US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) gave the clearest data-based answer so far: annual BESS failures per deployed GWh dropped 98% worldwide between 2018 and 2025, while installed capacity grew exponentially.

That decline happened while the industry got far bigger. Global deployments passed 300GWh of new installations in 2025, and cumulative capacity is expected to exceed 7,000GWh by 2035. This guide explains what the report found, what it means if you are buying a 5MWh container or a C&I cabinet, and the questions to ask any supplier, including us.

What did EPRI's 2026 BESS failure report find?

The short answer is that failures are now rare and rarely leave the site. The report, Risk Factors and Failure Statistics of Lithium-Ion BESS, uses EPRI's BESS Failure Incident Database of real-world events. EPRI's report page has the full document. The main findings, as reported by Energy-Storage.News:

• 98% fewer failures per GWh deployed in 2025 than in 2018.
• Comparable to transformers: the BESS failure rate is now similar to that of large oil-filled transformers, another grid asset with rare fire events.
• No off-site fire spread: in every recorded utility-scale incident, the fire stayed inside the facility perimeter.
• 93% of incidents caused no injuries or deaths, and no member of the public suffered an acute injury from a BESS arc flash, fire or explosion.
• Newer is safer: failure rates drop for more recent system vintages and as systems age past their early years.
• Indoor sites carry more risk: indoor BESS facilities are overrepresented in incidents and suffer more damage when one happens.

How fast have BESS failure rates fallen?

Very fast, and the trend held across two separate EPRI studies. An earlier EPRI, PNNL and TWAICE study found the failure rate fell from about 9.2 per GW deployed in 2018 to about 0.2 in 2023. The 2026 report extends the data to 2025 and puts the drop at 98%.

Newer system designs and lessons shared after early incidents both play a part. For example, there have been no reported BESS-related injuries or deaths in the US since lessons from the 2019 Surprise, Arizona fire were spread through the industry.

Is the battery cell the main cause of BESS fires?

No. The data points to integration, controls and operation far more than to the cells. The 2024 study found that 65% of incidents were linked to the operation and integration of batteries, and only 11% to cell or module failures. Balance-of-system parts (PCS, thermal management and other non-battery hardware) and controls were the most common failing elements.

The 2026 report goes further. EPRI could not show that cell chemistry on its own is a risk factor for system-level failures, because chemistry is hard to separate from better unit design and better manufacturing and operating practice. For buyers, this changes what to look at. A famous cell brand does not make a safe system. How the cells are monitored, cooled, separated, protected and commissioned does.

When are BESS failures most likely to happen?

Mostly early in the project's life. In the 2024 data, 72% of incidents happened during construction, commissioning or the first two years of operation. That matches the 2026 finding that failure rates drop as systems age past their early years.

So the most important safety work happens before and just after energisation: factory testing, correct installation, careful commissioning and close monitoring in year one. A supplier that ships the container and disappears leaves you exposed in exactly the period when risk is highest.

What should buyers check before choosing a BESS supplier?

Each EPRI finding points to a concrete question. The table below is our own mapping of the report's findings to supplier checks, with how Jingye New Energy answers each one.

Five questions to put in your RFQ

1. Send the system-level test reports, not only the cell datasheet.
2. Show the fire protection zoning and the extinguishing agent, and explain what happens to firefighting water or agent after an event.
3. Describe the BMS levels and the conditions that trigger automatic disconnection.
4. State the commissioning scope: who is on site, for how long, and what is tested before handover.
5. Explain how monitoring data and alarms reach the owner and the supplier during year one.