Energy Storage at Brooklyn Library Demonstrates Safety and Preparedness

With vision and funding from the New York State Governor's Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), the Brooklyn Public Library Coney Island Branch completed a milestone solar plus storage project demonstrating what is possible for urban, densely populated areas at risk of power outages and natural disasters. This is especially important for Coastal Brooklyn's Coney Island, which during Hurricane Sandy bore the brunt of the storm's fury, leaving adjacent communities with power outages and extensive damage due to the punishing high winds and rampant flooding.

Urban centers such as New York City will greatly benefit from deploying customer-sited, distributed energy storage and management systems that are safe and reliable and keep the lights on and the power flowing when centralized transmission and distribution lines fail. Solar One and Accord Power selected the safest lithium-ion battery chemistry and manufacturer for these energy systems.

The system installed at Brooklyn Public Library, Coney Island Branch, consists of 21kW of roof-mounted solar PV + 19 kWh Briggs & Stratton BOSS.6 energy storage system that meets the NYC limit of 20kWh. Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions' lithium ferrous phosphate-based storage solutions have achieved the industry's highest safety standard with UL 9540 and UL 9540A fire safety test results at the cell, battery module, and large unit level. Because of Briggs & Stratton’s UL 9540A large unit fire safety test results, these systems are permitted for use in New York City. Briggs & Stratton’s Energy Storage System (ESS) was one of just three ESSs to receive a Certificate of Approval (COA) from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). The COA for these energy storage systems holds particular weight in New York, a locale renowned for its rigorous fire safety regulations governing energy storage. 

Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions batteries stand out in this stringent environment due to their low heat production and minimal risk of thermal runaway. As a result, they circumvent the need for supplemental fire suppression, cooling, or ventilation systems, offering a safer and more cost-effective energy storage solution.

This is the first of many ESSs of this type to be deployed in New York City and other urban centers with a need for energy resilience and emergency backup power. Briggs & Stratton commends Solar One and Accord Power for their dedication to this program consisting of 10 total clean energy systems. 

Resilient, distributed energy storage systems (DERs) are critical and fast-becoming generation ecosystems as people and communities brace for more natural disasters that destroy centralized transmission and distribution. Solar One, Accord Power, and Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions are leading the way in deploying safe, clean, and effective energy solutions that create resilient resources for people to charge their phones and computers, check in with loved ones, have heat and light, and a safe place to stay when the rest of the electric grid has failed. 

Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions is dedicated to working with partners like Solar One and Accord Power to deploy more clean, renewable, and safe DERs, build resilient communities, store power for those who need it most in times of crisis, and modernize local electric grids. Together, we've formed a strong alliance and a shared common vision, which allowed us to stay the course and see these projects through to completion despite the lengthy and, at times, exhausting permitting process. The stellar UL 9540A test results, at the cell, battery, and now unit level, establish a strong foundation for NYC and other densely populated urban centers to rapidly adopt distributed, customer-sited energy storage solutions. Briggs & Stratton has been around to support families for over 115 years. We bring this same dedication to our energy solutions so that you can rely on them.