As executive director of the California Energy Storage Alliance, I must respond to the gross mischaracterizations of energy storage safety in Tony Maldonado’s Dec. 24 letter, “The Ticking Time Bomb.” As California moves toward its Senate Bill 100 goal of achieving 100% clean electricity by 2045, renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, will play an increasingly important role in meeting the state’s energy needs. However, these renewables can’t generate electricity during calm winds or after the sun sets. Energy storage systems address this challenge by capturing renewable power when it is produced and dispatching it later when needed. The deployment of energy storage was instrumental in avoiding emergency measures to maintain grid reliability this summer and will be crucial to the success of California’s renewable energy transition. From 2018 through 2024, California’s battery storage capacity surged from 360 megawatts to over 13,300 MW, with a forecasted need of 52,000 MW by 2045. The overwhelming majority of the 190 large-scale and 190,000 residential energy storage facilities in California operate without incident or controversy. While isolated incidents have occurred, battery storage fires are rare. No large-scale battery storage fire has ever spread beyond the project site, and no deaths or injuries have resulted from battery storage fires in California. Fires involving battery storage systems cause damage comparable to fires at industrial, commercial, or residential sites. Energy storage facilities in California must follow comprehensive national standards that govern the construction and operation of energy storage systems as well as other state and local fire regulations. Additionally, state law requires facility operators to coordinate closely with local public safety personnel. Maldonado makes several false claims about alleged “health dangers” posed by lithium-ion battery fires, generally regarding hypothetical toxic air emissions and water quality impacts. However, actual air and water quality measurements taken during and after incidents in New York and California have shown no emissions levels of concern. In fact, Rob Rezende, San Diego Fire-Rescue’s battalion chief and countywide expert on energy storage fires, stated in a Voice of San Diego article that “a car fire is more toxic” than an energy storage fire and that air monitoring instruments didn’t detect air toxicity levels of concern farther than 15 feet from the burning structure at the Otay Mesa incident Maldonado cited. The city of Escondido posted air and water quality measurements from the incident that occurred there on Sept. 5. Twenty-nine air monitoring stations measuring seven different gases detected no contaminants in most cases, and the few positive readings were far below thresholds that affect public health. California had 1.3 million electric vehicles using lithium-ion technology registered through 2023. Most Californians don’t believe these batteries are “technological powder kegs.” Is Maldonado demanding that electric cars be removed from California’s streets? Maldonado attempts to scare readers with misinformation to create a misleading impression about a technology that operates without incident in communities throughout California. Battery energy storage is safe and benefits communities throughout the state, including Santa Clarita. Scott Murtishaw Berkeley The post Scott Murtishaw | ‘Time Bomb’ Hyperbole appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.