Firetrace International has published a report on public attitudes to battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the US, based on a survey of 3,861 citizens across all 50 states conducted by Censuswide in April and May 2025.
The company said the report, titled Unlocking Support for BESS: How to boost public support for battery energy storage systems, examines why people support or oppose projects and which messages most influence community views.
According to Firetrace International, 71% of respondents would support a BESS project in their community.
The report states that this backing remains in place despite political and economic uncertainty and concerns that a change in US administration could slow progress on energy storage.
Firetrace International said the findings are intended to help project developers better understand community perspectives and build public trust in energy storage initiatives.
Firetrace International reports that motivations for supporting BESS schemes vary by state but consistently group around reliable power, cheaper electricity bills and local economic benefits.
Reliable power emerges as the most common driver in states such as Massachusetts, Mississippi and Texas.
Cheaper electricity bills are cited as the main reason for support in Kentucky, where 73% of respondents highlight this, and in Missouri, where the figure reaches 84%.
Local economic gains and jobs are particularly important in Washington, according to the report.
In Florida, Firetrace International notes that cheaper bills and reliable power are equally influential in shaping support.
The report concludes that messages focusing on direct household and community benefits resonate across all age groups and across both supportive and sceptical communities.
It finds that 70% of respondents would support a BESS site if it reduced electricity bills, 68% if it ensured reliable power, 63% if it brought local jobs and economic benefits and 60% if it delivered cleaner air.
Firetrace International highlights a substantial information gap around BESS in the US.
The report finds that 44% of citizens say they have never encountered any information about BESS.
Among those who oppose BESS, 52% also say they have never encountered information, which the report links to a strong correlation between lack of knowledge and opposition.
Opposition is concentrated around concerns about local environmental impact, toxic leaks and fire and safety risks.
Across the national sample, 47% of opponents cite environmental impact, 40% mention toxic leak risks and 38% refer to fire and safety issues.
The report gives state-level examples, including Minnesota, where environmental impact is cited by 60% of opponents.
In Connecticut and Delaware, concerns focus on property values and toxic leaks.
In Kansas and Michigan, toxic leaks are identified as the primary issue.
Overall, 41% of respondents list property values as a concern, and 48% say they would feel more comfortable if there were clearer information about environmental impact.
Firetrace International notes that some states with high potential support linked to cheaper bills, such as Connecticut, still show high baseline opposition, indicating that perceived benefits have not been communicated effectively.
The report also lists states with high levels of self-reported lack of information, including Iowa at 68%, Wyoming at 62%, Montana and Nebraska at 58%, New Hampshire at 54%, and Kansas and Minnesota at 52%.
It concludes that better-informed citizens are far more supportive of BESS than those who say they lack information.
Firetrace International identifies safety communication as one of the strongest levers for increasing public support for BESS.
According to the report, 47% of respondents say they would be more supportive of a BESS project if there were more transparency around safety measures.
It finds that 68% would be more likely to support a BESS site if fire suppression systems were installed.
The report adds that demand for fire safety guarantees is particularly high in states including Arizona, California, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Utah, where support linked to fire suppression is reported at around 46–47%.
Rapid fire suppression systems are highlighted as especially influential.
Firetrace International reports that 66% of respondents would be more likely to support a BESS project if it included fire suppression capable of extinguishing fires in seconds.
Notably, 31% of current opponents say they would switch to supporting a project if such fire suppression was in place.
Based on these findings, the report estimates that overall support for BESS could rise from around 70% to approximately 80% if effective fire suppression systems were specified and clearly communicated.
The report examines how planning processes and public consultation affect support for BESS projects.
Firetrace International states that 27% of respondents want formal public consultations as part of project development.
A further 26% say they want stricter planning regulations for BESS schemes.
Across the sample, 61% of respondents say they have attended or plan to attend a community or planning hearing on BESS.
Those who attend hearings overwhelmingly support projects, with Firetrace International reporting a ratio of four supporters to one opponent among attendees.
The report argues that this pattern indicates a vocal minority often dominates planning objections, while a larger supportive group may be under-represented in formal processes.
It recommends engaging communities early and often, tailoring messages to state-level motivations and ensuring planning systems capture supportive voices as well as objections.
Fire and rescue chiefs and senior officers can use these findings to understand how concerns about fire and safety risks influence public attitudes to BESS siting.
The reported link between transparent safety information, fire suppression measures and higher support levels is directly relevant to incident risk assessment and pre-incident planning around BESS installations.
Risk assessors, system installers and fire-protection contractors can draw on the survey’s emphasis on rapid fire suppression to inform design choices, specifications and client discussions for storage sites.
Facility managers across industrial, commercial and public sectors with current or planned BESS projects can use the state-level insights on bills, reliability and jobs to frame local engagement and consultation activity.
Emergency and disaster response managers involved in resilience planning can factor the high baseline of public support, alongside persistent worries about environmental impact, toxic leaks and property values, into broader energy infrastructure strategies.
Standards and certification bodies may find the data on public expectations around safety, planning regulations and consultation useful when reviewing guidance or considering future changes to BESS-related requirements.
