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A dataset from the Electric Power Research Institute shows the annual U.S. grid battery failure rate was more than 97% lower in 2025 than in 2016, even as cumulative deployments increased 250-fold. The figures describe reported failures, not the severity of each event, and come with limits because failures are rare and the sample is small.
The annual failure rate for U.S. commercial and utility-scale batteries was more than 97% lower in 2025 than in 2016, according to data compiled by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), while cumulative deployments grew 250-fold. The trend offers evidence that reported battery failures have become less frequent as installations expanded, though the dataset cannot show how severe each event was.
EPRI’s report tracks global failures involving commercial and grid-scale battery systems, including arc flashes, fires and explosions. To focus on the United States, Canary Media compared the EPRI failure tally with installation figures from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The analysis found that the annual failure rate dropped by more than 97% between 2016 and 2025 as cumulative U.S. deployments rose 250-fold.
The annual rate was zero in three separate years in the period examined because no failures were known to have occurred in those years. Those gaps are not proof that batteries carry no risk; they reflect the absence of recorded incidents in a dataset with few events overall. EPRI lead author Lakshmi Srinivasan said the low number of failures is positive, but also limits the strength of statistical analysis.
The count does not distinguish a brief incident at a small battery site from a major fire. A 2019 event outside Phoenix sent four emergency responders to hospital with serious injuries, the only significant bodily harm attributed to a U.S. grid battery fire in the source report. A January 2025 fire at Moss Landing, California, caused no reported injuries but largely destroyed the power plant and led to a multi-day evacuation of the surrounding community.
Falling Failures Amid Rapid Expansion
The figures speak to a central challenge for battery developers and communities: storage is being built quickly to supply flexible power to the grid, while concerns about fires can shape whether projects are approved and where they are located. A declining failure rate as installations increase suggests that growth has not been accompanied by a rising rate of reported failures in the U.S. data examined.
EPRI’s comparison also gives the risk a familiar reference point. The institute calculated that grid battery units fail at a rate comparable to oil-filled substation transformers, long-established equipment used to change electricity voltage. That comparison concerns failure frequency; it does not mean battery and transformer incidents have identical causes or consequences.
For local residents and officials, the numbers may help frame discussions about possible fire hazards against potential project benefits, including tax revenue, grid reliability and downward pressure on electricity costs. The data can inform those decisions, but cannot determine whether a particular proposed site is safe or appropriate.
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Why Battery Fires Draw Attention
Grid batteries have become a leading choice for new on-demand power in the United States, according to the source report. Their ability to store and supply electricity makes them part of a changing grid, but fire concerns remain prominent in community debates. Battery fires have occurred, and the report says they can be difficult to extinguish using conventional methods.
Safety rules and technology have also changed since the earliest large installations. The report says new safety standards took effect over the period covered, while battery systems and project layouts became more sophisticated. These developments may help explain the downward trend, but the provided data do not isolate how much each change contributed.
Moss Landing has become a highly visible example in discussions over new battery projects. Its January 2025 fire caused substantial damage and a community evacuation, despite no reported injuries. Such high-impact events can weigh heavily in public debate even when aggregate data indicate that recorded failures are less frequent.
“There just aren’t a lot of failures, which is a good thing, but that means you don’t have a very robust dataset to analyze.”
— Lakshmi Srinivasan, lead author of the EPRI report
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Limits of the Failure Record
The dataset has a small number of recorded failures, which makes it difficult to identify reliable patterns or quantify the likelihood of rare, severe events. The raw count also does not account for incident size, duration, injuries, property damage or evacuation impacts. The reported rate is not a full measure of the consequences a community might face.
The source material does not specify the complete reporting method, whether all incidents are captured, or how differences in equipment and site size affect the rate. It also does not establish which safety standards or design changes produced the decline. The 97% figure describes the comparison between 2016 and 2025; it should not be read as a guarantee that future projects will avoid fires.
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How Communities May Use the Data
The figures are likely to inform local conversations as communities consider proposed battery developments, alongside site-specific safety plans, emergency-response arrangements and project details. The source report does not identify a specific upcoming regulatory decision or say that any new rule has been adopted because of the analysis.
Further incident reporting and analysis would help clarify how failure rates vary by technology, project size and safety practices, and how often events cause serious harm. For now, the available evidence points to fewer recorded failures per year as U.S. deployments grew, while the limited sample leaves the risk of rare, high-impact fires difficult to measure.
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Key Questions
How much did the U.S. grid battery failure rate fall?
The analysis found that the annual failure rate in 2025 was more than 97% below the 2016 rate. Cumulative deployments rose 250-fold over the same comparison period.
Does the data mean grid batteries no longer catch fire?
No. Battery fires and other failures have occurred. The data show a lower recorded annual failure rate, not zero risk; three years had no known failures, but that does not establish that incidents cannot happen.
What does the dataset count as a failure?
EPRI’s global dataset includes reported arc flash, fire and explosion events involving commercial and grid-scale batteries. The source material does not provide a full account of its reporting method or confirm that every incident is captured.
Does the failure rate reflect how serious an incident is?
No. The raw tally does not capture event size or severity. The report describes incidents ranging from short-lived events at small batteries to the Moss Landing fire, which largely destroyed a power plant and prompted a multi-day evacuation.
What does the transformer comparison mean?
EPRI calculated that grid battery units fail at a rate comparable to oil-filled substation transformers. That is a comparison of failure rates, not a claim that the equipment has the same hazards or that incidents have equal consequences.
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