UL Solutions launched new BESS evaluation services covering NFPA 855, NFPA 68 and NFPA 69 requirements. The services use assessment, modelling and simulation-based analysis to help manufacturers, developers and integrators address fire spread and deflagration risks, strengthen documentation and support code authority reviews.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Project Name – UL Solutions BESS NFPA evaluation services.
Owner – UL Solutions Inc.
Project Type – BESS safety evaluation and compliance service.
Location – United States focus; services offered by UL Solutions.
Technology Used – NFPA 855 assessment, NFPA 68 and NFPA 69 analysis, modelling, simulation and engineering reports.
Project Status – Launched.
Purpose – To support BESS fire spread and deflagration hazard mitigation reviews.
Expected Output – Stronger technical documentation for local code authority review.
Contract Details – New evaluation services supplement UL 9540 and UL 9540A testing and certification capabilities.
Headquarters – Northbrook, Illinois, United States.
UL Solutions Inc., a global provider of applied safety science services, has launched new evaluation services to assist BESS manufacturers, developers and integrators in meeting National Fire Protection Association requirements. The services focus on assessing fire, deflagration and gas-ignition hazards during energy storage project deployment.
The launch comes as grid-scale BESS projects require clearer system design and safety documentation for review by local code authorities. UL Solutions said energy storage deployment needs science-based support as projects grow in scale and move through approval processes.
BESS deployment has expanded rapidly across the United States. With respect to June 2026, there have been approximately 1,010 installed utility-scale BESS installations that amount to a cumulative capacity of 48.6 GW in the US. The history of developments reveals that the grid-scale battery storage capacity surpassed 26 GW as early as 2024, implying a growth rate of 66 percent in just one year. The figures of volumetric capacity reached 57.6 GW in 2025, and projections reveal that the aggregate will exceed 600 GW by 2030.
Large-scale energy storage units catch extra power from clean generation, shift power availability over to periods marked by intense grid demand and maintain electrical network stability alongside growing solar and wind deployment. UL Solutions said its evaluation services are intended to help stakeholders assess risks, organize technical documentation and prepare packages for local code authority review.
UL Solutions said its evaluation services are intended to help stakeholders assess risks, organize technical documentation and prepare packages for local code authority review. The services are also designed to provide data that can demonstrate alignment with relevant NFPA requirements.
NFPA is a nonprofit body in the U.S. that creates codes and standards related to fire, electrical and life safety. These standards are often adopted into local building and fire codes, shaping how storage projects are designed, evaluated and approved.
UL Solutions’ services support work related to NFPA 855, the Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems. The services also address explosion protection and prevention requirements under NFPA 68, which covers deflagration venting, and NFPA 69, which covers explosion prevention systems.
For NFPA 855, UL Solutions provides an assessment that identifies gaps, documents findings and supports justification packages for code authority review. For NFPA 68 and NFPA 69, customers receive engineering reports with modelling, simulation-based analysis and expert interpretation of explosion risk and safety performance.
The services complement UL Solutions’ existing BESS testing and certification capabilities, including UL 9540, the Standard for Energy Storage Systems and Equipment, and UL 9540A, the Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in BESS.
The services also include virtual sessions with UL Solutions technical specialists to review results. UL Solutions said the process combines evaluation, simulation, testing and certification to help stakeholders prepare compliance documentation for project approval.
Ken Boyce, vice president of Principal Engineering at UL Solutions, said manufacturers, developers, integrators and other stakeholders involved in energy storage deployment need support to evaluate risk, organize documents and move through the approval process with confidence.
The services extend UL Solutions’ existing BESS testing and certification work by adding NFPA-focused assessment, analysis and reporting support.