Battery storage incidents recorded in the United Kingdom, with what happened, the contributing factors and the lessons, each with its sources.
Counts are of entries in published reporting, not rates. The register is new and has been filling in its archive, so a rise across years measures the register before it measures the world.
14 published entries. Newest first. Search and filter these in the register.
Newest incident first. Search them, or narrow them by country, year or severity. Each entry is free to read, with what happened and its sources; the record behind it adds the cause where it is established, the part that failed, the downtime and the loss.
Emergency services were called to the Battery Box battery energy storage system on Pinhoe Road, Exeter, Devon, after smoke was seen coming from the unit. The system had been recently installed on leased land and connects to the electricity grid to store...
At 05:21 on Friday 1 May 2026, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to a fire involving a battery storage container at the Rufford Colliery battery energy storage system (BESS) on Colliery Lane, Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. The...
Fire and Rescue Service crews attended a property on Kingsway in Chandlers Ford after smoke was seen issuing from the roof. The fire is believed to have started within a battery storage system connected by cabling to rooftop solar panels. An aerial ladder...
The record behind each entry: the manufacturer, integrator and operator, root cause, failure mode, downtime, losses and every source.
A gas leak was reported in the afternoon at a battery energy storage system under construction off Edinburgh Road, near Cockenzie. Residents close to the site reported a strong smell of gas and noise. Scottish Gas Networks attended and said the leak followed...
Firefighters were called to a garden fire on Highcliffe Road, Wickford, at about 11.30am on a Saturday. Crews from Basildon and Wickford found a wooden garden shed fully alight, with flames beginning to affect three nearby properties. Residents reported...
In March 2025, in the mid afternoon, a fire was reported at the Cirencester Hybrid Solar Farm, a hybrid site on Witpit Lane, Preston, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, operated by Gridserve, combining ground mounted solar generation with a...
In 2025 a fire broke out in a single containerised battery unit at Thurrock BESS, a large battery energy storage project in East Tilbury, Essex, England, being developed by Statera Energy, that was still under construction and not yet operational. The fire...
In 2025, media reporting in the United Kingdom indicated that a fire at a residential property was associated with a battery storage system installed alongside a solar photovoltaic installation, and that the incident led to a public safety warning about...
On 18 April 2024, four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended a fire at a range of garages on Berkshire Gardens in Southgate, London. Several roof-mounted solar panels and one garage were completely destroyed, and a neighbouring garage was partially...
Fire crews were called to a bungalow in Min-yr-Afon, Tyn-y-gongl, near Benllech on Anglesey. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said an electrical fault caused the blaze. One person left the property. She breathed in smoke and was taken for tests, but was...
On Thursday 19 January 2023, at about 2pm, firefighters were called to reports of smoke coming from a terraced house in Denton, Greater Manchester. Smoke had reportedly been seen escaping from the ground floor. On arrival, crews established that the smoke was...
Batteries connected to solar panels overheated and ignited inside a domestic double garage in South Woodham Ferrers. The fire spread throughout the garage. Firefighters were called at 12.35pm and stopped it spreading to nearby homes. Crews fully extinguished...
In the early hours of 15 September 2020, an explosion occurred at the Orsted battery energy storage system (BESS) on Carnegie Road, Liverpool, before emergency responders arrived. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service received calls reporting a large explosion...
In 2018 a grid connected battery energy storage site in the UK was built and commissioned to operating status. An engineering practitioner later raised a formal concern through a UK collaborative safety reporting scheme, stating that there was no fire hydrant...
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| When | Site | What happened | Stage of life |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | Smoke and fire incident at Battery Box, Pinhoe Road, Exeter EIR-0249 | Emergency services were called to the Battery Box battery energy storage system on Pinhoe Road, Exeter, Devon, after smoke was seen coming from the unit. The system had been recently installed on leased land and connects to the electricity grid to store renewable energy and discharge it at peak demand. | Normal operation |
| 2026 | Gas leak at Cockenzie battery storage site under construction EIR-0681 | A gas leak was reported in the afternoon at a battery energy storage system under construction off Edinburgh Road, near Cockenzie. Residents close to the site reported a strong smell of gas and noise. | Commissioning |
| Mar 2025 | Fire in two battery containers at Cirencester Hybrid Solar Farm, Gloucestershire EIR-0058 | In March 2025, in the mid afternoon, a fire was reported at the Cirencester Hybrid Solar Farm, a hybrid site on Witpit Lane, Preston, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, operated by Gridserve, combining ground mounted solar generation with a co-located lithium-ion battery energy storage system. Fire and rescue crews attended with appliances from local stations, supported by further appliances from neighbouring services, with more than 40 firefighters in attendance in total, using high volume pumps and specialist equipment. | Normal operation |
| Feb 2025 | Fire in single battery unit at Thurrock BESS under construction EIR-0109 | In 2025 a fire broke out in a single containerised battery unit at Thurrock BESS, a large battery energy storage project in East Tilbury, Essex, England, being developed by Statera Energy, that was still under construction and not yet operational. The fire was reported in the late afternoon and the site was evacuated as a precaution. | Commissioning |
| Sept 2020 | Explosion and prolonged fire at Orsted battery storage site in Liverpool EIR-0638 | In the early hours of 15 September 2020, an explosion occurred at the Orsted battery energy storage system (BESS) on Carnegie Road, Liverpool, before emergency responders arrived. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service received calls reporting a large explosion with smoke and flames near the site. | Normal operation |
| 2018 | Battery storage site commissioned without on site fire water provision, concern raised before any incident EIR-0023 | In 2018 a grid connected battery energy storage site in the UK was built and commissioned to operating status. 7 kilometres away, and that no emergency water supply had been provided on site. | Normal operation |
| When | Site | What happened | Stage of life |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Fire in a battery container at Rufford Colliery BESS, Rainworth; owner attributes it to a short circuit in NMC cells EIR-0584 | At 05:21 on Friday 1 May 2026, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to a fire involving a battery storage container at the Rufford Colliery battery energy storage system (BESS) on Colliery Lane, Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. The site is a 7 MW / 9 MWh BESS owned by the Gresham House Energy Storage Fund (GRID), which acquired it in 2018, shortly after it began commercial operation in December 2017. | Not stated |
| 2026 | Fire in home battery storage system connected to solar panels EIR-1520 | Fire and Rescue Service crews attended a property on Kingsway in Chandlers Ford after smoke was seen issuing from the roof. The fire is believed to have started within a battery storage system connected by cabling to rooftop solar panels. | Normal operation |
| Aug 2025 | Mini battery storage system ignites garden shed fire in Wickford, Essex EIR-0462 | 30am on a Saturday. Crews from Basildon and Wickford found a wooden garden shed fully alight, with flames beginning to affect three nearby properties. | Normal operation |
| 2025 | Domestic fire reported to have prompted a safety warning about solar battery storage EIR-0459 | In 2025, media reporting in the United Kingdom indicated that a fire at a residential property was associated with a battery storage system installed alongside a solar photovoltaic installation, and that the incident led to a public safety warning about domestic battery storage. Only a headline and a short summary were available at the time of drafting, by way of a news aggregator rather than a primary report. | Not stated |
| Apr 2024 | Garage fire destroys solar panels in Southgate, with a battery storage fault suspected EIR-1514 | On 18 April 2024, four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended a fire at a range of garages on Berkshire Gardens in Southgate, London. Several roof-mounted solar panels and one garage were completely destroyed, and a neighbouring garage was partially damaged. | Normal operation |
| Sept 2023 | Solar panel and battery fire at a bungalow on Anglesey EIR-1400 | Fire crews were called to a bungalow in Min-yr-Afon, Tyn-y-gongl, near Benllech on Anglesey. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said an electrical fault caused the blaze. | Normal operation |
| Jan 2023 | Solar battery smoke prompts fire crew response at Denton home EIR-2173 | On Thursday 19 January 2023, at about 2pm, firefighters were called to reports of smoke coming from a terraced house in Denton, Greater Manchester. Smoke had reportedly been seen escaping from the ground floor. | Not stated |
| Sept 2021 | Garage fire from overheated solar batteries in South Woodham Ferrers EIR-1537 | Batteries connected to solar panels overheated and ignited inside a domestic double garage in South Woodham Ferrers. The fire spread throughout the garage. | Normal operation |
The House of Commons Library briefing on battery energy storage systems, 19 April 2024 says: "There is no reliable, publicly accessible record of the number of BESS fires that have occurred in the UK or elsewhere." (the Library).
A minister answering a question in the House of Lords on 26 February 2026 said: "In the last five years, there have been four grid-scale battery fires in Great Britain." (the debate).
This register, counting public reporting only, holds 6 grid-scale or commercial battery storage entries in the United Kingdom, 3 of them fires or thermal events, and 8 home or small-system entries. The two counts differ in what they set out to count: the minister's figure is grid-scale fires in Great Britain over five years; this page lists every entry in public reporting, by year, with its sources, so the reader can draw the line where their work needs it.
A planning case needs the comparable incidents in one dated document. The planning evidence pack draws them from the register for one project, with the sources. The UK battery storage applications are on the planning pages, council by council.
Firefighting, spacing and emergency response, drawn from every entry on the register.
6 grid-scale or commercial battery storage entries are in public reporting for the United Kingdom, 3 of them fires or thermal events, and 8 home or small-system entries, counted on this page from 2018 to 2026.
The register's earliest United Kingdom grid-scale entry is Battery storage site commissioned without on site fire water provision, concern raised before any incident (EIR-0023, 2018). In 2018 a grid connected battery energy storage site in the UK was built and commissioned to operating status. 7 kilometres away, and that no emergency water supply had been provided on site.
No. The House of Commons Library briefing on battery energy storage systems, 19 April 2024 says: "There is no reliable, publicly accessible record of the number of BESS fires that have occurred in the UK or elsewhere." This page is the register's own count from public reporting, with a source on every entry.
The entries on this page each link to their own page with the sources.