Battery Energy Storage

Systems (BESS)
Best Practices for Medway
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Medway Planning and Economic
Development Board
BESS Best Practices
Overview of Tonight’s Meeting
 This is a meeting of 3 Town of Medway boards or committees –
Planning and Economic Development Board (PEDB), Select Board,
and the Energy and Sustainability Committee. The chair of each
group will call their meeting to order. As this is a 100% virtual
meeting, committee members must announce their names via roll
call for the record.
 Meeting Recording – Medway Cable is recording this meeting
which will be available on Livestream on Thursday.
 Context, how did we arrive at this point?
 Contract with Arup – Scope of Services
 Purpose of tonight’s meeting
 Ground Rules for engagement
 Arup Presentation
 Questions and Answers
BESS Best Practices – Context
 Able Grid, an energy storage system developer and builder, is interested
in constructing a battery energy storage system in Medway and
approached the Town about amending its Zoning Bylaw to expand the
Town’s existing Energy Resource District (in and around the Exelon and
Eversource facilities) to allow for such BESS use.
 May 2021 Town Meeting voted to direct the PEDB to conduct a review
and study of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and to engage the
services of consultants and other experts to provide information on all
aspects of the operations, safety, security and technology of such
systems, including the economic impact of a BESS facility if located in
the Town of Medway, and to provide a report of the
Board’s findings and recommendations, to include
but not be limited to, consideration of potential
amendments to the Medway Zoning Bylaw.
BESS Best Practices – Context
 In November, after conducting an RFP process, the Town contracted
with Arup, a multi-disciplinary firm of engineers, designers, planners,
consultants and technical energy specialists to serve as the Town’s
primary BESS consultant for technical energy consulting services.
www.arup.com
 Arup’s Scope of Work - 4 key elements
 Research and prepare a Best Practices report
 Research and prepare a zoning considerations report to identify
key technical language to include in zoning bylaw amendments.
 Prepare a memorandum of siting considerations
for BESS facilities.
 Prepare a review memorandum of Able Grid’s
BESS proposal at such time it is submitted.
Purpose of Tonight’s Meeting
 To present and discuss the first component of Arup’s work for the Town.
 Arup has prepared a BESS Best Practices report. It is posted at the
PEDB’s web page. The link to the report is provided in the CHAT box.
 The scope of this meeting is the Arup Best Practices report. This is the
opportunity to learn some basics about battery energy storage systems.
 Arup will provide an overview of the report. The primary presenters are:
 Geoff Gunn, P.E. Associate Principal, Energy Lead
 Victoria Grimes, P.E. Fire, Life Safety, and Process Safety Consultant
 Attendees may ask questions and offer comments
about the Arup BESS Best Practices report. Other Arup
staff are also available to answer questions.
 Tonight’s meeting will not get into particulars of zoning
Able Grid’s project, or any specific site.
Ground Rules
 We would like to know who is present at tonight’s meeting. Please
go to the Zoom Participant List, find your name or identifier and
indicate if you are a resident, business, or property owner and
include any applicable organizational affiliation.
 Attendees will be muted.
 Arup consultants will deliver their presentation.
 During the presentation, please post any questions or comments
in the Zoom CHAT feature.
 At the conclusion of the presentation, Town staff will
facilitate answering the CHAT questions & comments.
 We will then open the session to additional comments.
Please use the raise hand symbol and you will be
called on.
 Conclude by 8:30 pm
Next Steps
 The Best Practices report will be revised based on tonight’s
discussion and will be reposted to the Board’s web page.
 Arup will work next on a report on important considerations to
include in any zoning bylaw amendments to address battery
energy storage systems. A Zoom meeting on that report is
planned for March 17, 2022. Stay tuned for details.
Town of Medway BESS
Research and Test Practices Summary Presentation

Arup
February 16, 2022
Arup Team
Geoff Gunn, P.E. Victoria Grimes, P.E.
Associate Principal | Energy Lead Fire and Hazards Consultant

Jonathan Eisenberg, P.E. Hassan Hamdan

Associate Principal | Science Lead Associate Principal

Mike Lepisto, P.E. Justin Roy, P.E.

Associate Senior Engineer
Scope of Project
Technical Siting
Technical Summary of BESS
Considerations for BESS
Technical BESS report summarizing
Memorandum summarizing general
best practices and technical information
siting considerations for BESS
about the energy storage industry.
facilities.
T2 T3 T4 T5

Technical Considerations for BESS Zoning Review of Able Grid EFSB

Memorandum summarizing technical components Submission
of BESS for consideration as the Town of Medway Technical review of Able Grid BESS
reviews existing and proposed Energy Resource project submission package to the
zoning bylaws. EFSB.

Second PEDB meeting.

Agenda

• Battery Terminology Overview

• BESS Economics
• Benchmarking BESS Sites
• BESS Technical Overview
• Regulations and Available Guidance
• Component Selection, Testing, and Listings
• Siting Considerations
• Fire Remediation Actions and Response
Battery Terminology Overview

Cell Module Array / Unit Battery Energy Storage System

The basic electrochemical A battery cell, including any A physical grouping of A type of Energy Storage
unit, characterized by an exterior casing. batteries. Sometimes referred System consisting of an array
anode and a cathode, used to to as a “cluster”. The capacity of batteries intended to
receive, store, and deliver of batteries in an array is provide electrical power
electrical energy. considered on a cumulative during outages and
basis. supplement available
resources during times of high
demand.
Battery Terminology Overview
BESS Technology Overview
BESS Technology Overview
BESS Economics
Available BESS Revenue Streams for Developer / Owner

Tax savings Incentives

• Tax savings for entities with a tax • MA Clean Peak Standard
appetite. Savings are maximized when • Connected Solutions and Daily Dispatch
coupled to on-site PV • MA SMART when paired with on-site PV

On-bill savings Utility programs

• Demand charge reduction • Ancillary services/grid stability
• Energy arbitrage through TOU • Operating reserves
• ICap savings • Reduction of grid congestion
• Ramp rate control
• Energy arbitrage
• Capacity firming
• Peak shaving
BESS Economics
BESS Representative Capital Cost

Li-ion battery storage system Foundations

• Li-ion racks • Container pads
• Containers (or buildings) • Transformer pads
• Warranty and guarantee • Substation foundation
• Power conversion system (PCS)
• Control system
• Commissioning
• Pad mounted transformers

Electrical balance of plant Site works

• Underground cables • Site preparation
• Grounding • Site management during construction
• Pull wire
• BESS controls system
• Project substation and step-up transformers
BESS Economics
BESS Representative Capital Cost

Owner’s development costs Grid interconnection

• Land acquisition • Cost for utility interconnection equipment
• Permitting and utility-side upgrades
• Financing
• Engineering / procurement
• Insurance

Testing and energization Operations and maintenance

• Equipment testing • Remote monitoring
• Wiring testing • Remote dispatch/dispatch control
• Control and Protection Testing • On-site maintenance and inspections
BESS Benchmarking
• BESS facilities come in a wide range of sizes
• Serve a wide range of purposes
• Typically measured in electrical capacity (MW, or MWh)

BESS Application Approximate Anticipated Capacity Ranges Approximate # of Houses Powered

Investor-owned public 5-500 MW / 10-1,200 MWh ~330 – 40,000
utility
Municipality-owned public 5-50 MW / 10-100 MWh ~330 – 3,300
utility
Private landowner 0.25-2 MW / 0.5-8 MWh ~17 – 270
Private residential 0.002-0.005 MW / 0.005-0.015 MWh ~ 0.2 – 0.5
 BESS Benchmarking

Minuteman
Medway Cranberry Moss
Battery Energy
BESS Point Landing
Storage System
Medway, North Reading, Montgomery
Location Carver, MA
MA MA County, CA

250 MW / 150 MW / 300 5 MW / 10 400 MW /

Size
500 MWh MWh MWh 1,600 MWh

Design / Design / Operational – Operational

Status
Permitting Permitting Jun. 2019 – Dec. 2020
 Pre-Construction: 255,500 MW (1051 projects)
BESS Benchmarking Under Construction: 5,000 MW (23 projects)
BESS ≥ 100 MW
Operating: 3,500 MW (20 projects)
BESS Benchmarking
BESS ≥ 100 MW
Listings

• Listings tells you that a product or

system is design and tested to a
baseline standard

• Codes tell you how to install the

system or product within a facility
Listings
Examples of Listed Products

• Listed.
– A product included in a list by a published organization concerned with evaluation of products or
services, whose listing states that either the product meets appropriate designated standards or has
been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.

• Examples of “listed” products

Listings
Terminology

• Nationally Recognized Testing Agency (NRTL): Private testing

agencies that are certified to test against specific standards.

Intertek Electrical
Testing Labs (ETL) United Laboratories (UL) FM Global
Listings
UL 9540 and UL 9540A

UL 9540: Applicable listing for BESS systems

UL 9540A: Applicable testing standard for BESS systems above a certain size.

UL 9540A test results provide AHJs and designers with the tools and information to evaluate
BESS performance during fire events and inform design decisions such as:
• Location & separation distances
• Array / unit capacities
• Fire suppression systems
• And more
Listings
Massachusetts BESS Listings

What listings and testing criteria can AHJs expect for lithium-ion BESS
projects in Massachusetts?
Li-ion Listed Pre-Engineered BESS System Capacity Expected Listings
Individual Array Capacity less than or equal to 50 kWh UL 9540 listed
Overall BESS Capacity less than or equal to 600 kWh UL 9540 listed
Individual Array Capacity greater than 50 kWh UL 9540 listed + UL 9540A tested
Overall BESS Capacity greater than 600 kWh UL 9540 listed + UL 9540A tested

UL 9540A fire testing was added to the UL 9540 listing requirements in April 2021 for BESS exceeding the above thresholds.
Listings
UL 9540A Test Methodology

• Testing begins at cell level

• If fire propagation is not observed,
testing does not continue to the next
level
• If fire propagation is observed, testing
continues to the next level

Publicly available database sponsored by

UL for BESS tested per UL 9540A is
available here.
Codes

• Listings tells you that a product or

system is design and tested to a
baseline standard

• Codes tell you how to install the

system or product within a facility
Codes
NFPA Code Development Process

NFPA Committee Member Classifications

Public input Manufacturer (M)
User (U)
Installer / Maintainer (I/M)
Public comment
Labor (L)
Applied Research / Testing Laboratory (R/T)
NFPA technical meeting Enforcing Authority (E)
Insurance (I)
Consumer (C)
Standards council action
Special Expert (SE)
Codes
Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Comprehensive
Model Codes [Building,
Fire Safety Code (MFSC) Fire, Electrical]
– Local fire department
• National Electrical Code (NEC)
– Local building department Massachusetts State Codes

• Additional guidance:
NFPA 855
Town of Medway Codes

FM DS 5-33
Codes

• Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code

• NFPA 855, Standard on the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage
Systems
Siting Considerations

Permissible Locations Maximum Stored Energy

Where are stationary BESS installations Based on the intended location, how big
permitted? can these BESS installations be?

Separation Distances Environmental Considerations

Based on the intended location and size of What are additional environmental factors
the BESS, what are the applicable that should be considered during the
separation distances to adjacencies? design and permitting of a BESS facility?
Siting Considerations

Permissible Locations Maximum Stored Energy

Where are stationary BESS installations Based on the intended location, how big
permitted? can these BESS installations be?

Separation Distances Environmental Considerations

Based on the intended location and size of What are additional environmental factors
the BESS, what are the applicable that should be considered during the
separation distances to adjacencies? design and permitting of a BESS facility?
Life Safety Siting Considerations
Permissible Locations

Life Safety Exposures: Outdoor

• Buildings
• Lot lines that can be built upon Remote Locations Near
Locations Exposures
• Public roads
• Stored combustible materials
(e.g. ancillary outdoor storage Elevated
or trash collection) Indoor
Locations
• Other exposure hazards not
associated with electrical grid Dedicated-Use Non-Dedicated- Open Parking
infrastructure Rooftops
Buildings Use Buildings Garages
Life Safety Siting Considerations
Permissible Locations

MFSC regulated BESS locations:

Location Permitted in Massachusetts?

Outdoor Installations Yes
Indoor Installations Yes, where either of the following conditions apply:

• In a dedicated room designated as a high-hazard (Group H) occupancy meeting the

robust design requirements of the building and fire code
• In a dedicated room separated by either 1-hour or 2-hour fire barriers, depending on
the relative hazard of the building occupancy

Rooftop Installations Only where the floor level is 75ft or less above lowest level of fire department access.
Higher elevations require specific AHJ approval.

Below-grade Installations Only where the floor level is 30ft or less below lowest level of fire department access
 Life Safety Siting Considerations
Stored Energy Thresholds

1. Capacity of Individual Array

- > 50 kWh
2. Overall Capacity
- > 600 kWh for common battery
chemistries (e.g. Li-ion, Flow,
Sodium)

MFSC requires BESS to carry UL 9540 listing and UL

9540A fire test data

For larger utility-scale systems UL 9540 listing and UL

9540A fire test data is required
Life Safety Siting Considerations
Separation Distances

Minimum Required Clearance Minimum Required

Between battery arrays and…
– MFSC Clearance – NFPA 855
Buildings 5 feet 10 feet
Property lines 5 feet 10 feet
Public roads 5 feet 10 feet
Stored combustible materials (e.g. ancillary
5 feet 10 feet
outdoor storage, trash collection areas)
Other exposure hazards not associated with
5 feet 10 feet
electrical grid infrastructure
Means of egress 10 feet 10 feet
Other arrays (where arrays > 50 kWh) * 3 feet 3 feet
Combustible walls – 3 feet
BESS container walls * 3 feet
Noncombustible walls – 0 feet
* Unless UL 9450A supports reduced separation between arrays and between arrays and container walls
Fire Remediation Actions and Response

1. Pre-Incident Planning
2. Emergency Response Plan
3. Training
Fire Remediation Actions and Response
Pre-Incident / Emergency Planning

• Primary hazards associated with BESS (thermal runaway, electrical fires)

• Battery Management System (BMS) response and reporting capabilities
• Site safety systems including thermal runaway management systems, fire suppression, and fire detection
• Shutdown procedures for the BESS system specific to the battery technology; location of manual electrical
disconnects
• Manual fire-fighting response for the specific battery technology
• Damaged BESS component removal procedures
• Access routes
• Manual smoke ventilation
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for battery cells; chemical composition; recommended fire suppression agents;
reactivity of battery cell with various materials
Thank you!

Questions?