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DOE OSTI · 2562784

A Safe Response to Renewable Energy Hazards

DeCrane, Sean [International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Washington, DC (United States)]
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Abstract

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and Underwriters Laboratories, LLC (UL) in conjunction with UL Solutions initiated a joint project in 2022 under an agreement with the United States Department of Energy-Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE-EERE). This project focused on two separate and important initiatives related to energy efficiency in residential buildings. Initiative 1: Fire Performance on Energy Efficient Exterior Walls. Initiative 2: Firefighting Tactics in Residential Properties with Building Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The project’s first initiative addresses concerns surrounding new technologies with enhanced, energy-efficient exterior walls installed on residential properties. The concerns of fire rapidly traveling vertically up the exterior of these walls were examined. This addressed a growing concern from the first responder community that many times, the fires on the exterior of residential buildings have already evolved into an attic fire by the time of arrival – making it problematic to address the fire scenario. The test plan for Initiative 1 incorporated a modified version of an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test method, ASTM E2707, Standard Test Method for Determining Fire Penetration of Exterior Wall Assemblies Using a Direct Flame Impingement Exposure, as the foundation of the research. The test method involved a wall structure intended to represent retrofit construction to evaluate how fire would spread vertically or laterally. The second aspect of the UL-IAFF Project focuses on the fire service response to Residential Battery Energy Storage System (RBESS) incidents. These simulation tests were constructed in the large-scale fire test facility at UL Solutions’ Northbrook, IL campus. A baseline test was conducted that involved a test structure with no batteries—shelving units populated with standardized commodities, representing a typical garage with cellulosic and plastic contents. Three additional tests have been conducted to generate data with the contribution of energy storage system (ESS) batteries to compare fire and explosion hazards against the baseline test. Through this work, fire service tactical considerations can be explored. From the data, the team can determine 1) the visual indicators of a residential fire that has involved an RBESS (or, potentially, other large batteries) and 2) the impact of fire service-initiated ventilation of the structure on the fire conditions and explosion risks.

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32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATIONassemblyattic firebasementBuildingBuilding Codecombustible fuelsDirect Flame Impingement ExposuredrivewaydwellingsE-mobility devicesEfficiencyEfficient Exterior WallsEnergyESSEVexplosionFire FightingFire Performancefire service tactical considerationsFirefightinggaragehose linesIAFFinsulationinsulative performanceInternational Association of Fire Fightersli-ion batteriesphotovoltaicPPEpropagationreignitionrelease ratesRenewableResidential Battery Energy Storage System RBESS incidentsresidential propertiesretrofit constructionretrofittedSCBAsheathingsize-upspreadTacticsthermal runawayUnderwriters Laboratoriesventilationvisual indicatorswall systemswallboard

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DeCrane, Sean [International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Washington, DC (United States)]. 2025-04-28. A Safe Response to Renewable Energy Hazards. https://doi.org/10.2172/2562784

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