SunCast · 2026-06-23 · 56 min
What determines whether a battery project performs safely over its lifetime? According to Kathleen McCaffery and Jeff Zwijack, the answer has as much to do with process, preparation, and quality assurance as it does with the battery itself. In this special live SunCast broadcast, Nico Johnson sits down with Kathleen McCaffery, retired Battalion Chief and former Global Fire Liaison for Tesla, and Jeff Zwijack, Associate Director of Energy Storage at Clean Energy Associates, to discuss what hundreds of inspections reveal about battery safety, operational readiness, and risk management across the energy storage industry. Drawing from hundreds of factory inspections and years of real-world fire response experience, Kathleen and Jeff explore the lessons the industry is learning as battery projects grow larger, more complex, and increasingly important to grid reliability. From supplier selection and factory acceptance testing to emergency response planning and long-term asset management, this conversation highlights the systems and processes that help prevent problems before they become operational, financial, or reputational risks.
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