New York City has officially installed its first permitted home battery storage system, a first-of-its-kind rooftop upgrade that could help more residents pair solar panels with backup power. The project, completed on a home in Chinatown, marks a major milestone for residential clean energy in the city and could reshape how buildings across the five boroughs use and store electricity.
According to a report from Electrek, Brooklyn SolarWorks installed a 19.6-kilowatt-hour home battery system in a city residence and linked it to a rooftop solar canopy. The outlet reported that it is the first residential battery system to be permitted and installed within city limits.
"That's a big step for a dense city," Electrek noted.
The battery uses Briggs & Stratton's AccESS platform, which is currently the only home storage option cleared for rooftop use in New York City, due to the city's tough battery-fire-safety rules.
Electrek reported that the Briggs & Stratton design gives off little heat and lowers thermal-runaway risk, so it can satisfy city rules without additional fire suppression, cooling, or ventilation equipment.
"Our AccESS system is the only residential ESS to receive a Certificate of Approval from the Fire Department of New York," Sequoya Cross, vice president of energy storage for Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, said.
One of the best ways homeowners can protect themselves during power outages is by adding battery storage to their home energy system. Home batteries can keep essential appliances running when the grid goes down, help homeowners avoid expensive peak electricity rates, and even make it possible to rely less on the grid altogether.
For homeowners interested in exploring their options, EnergySage's free battery storage tools make it easy to compare home battery solutions and receive competitive installation estimates from vetted installers.
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Brooklyn SolarWorks and Briggs & Stratton worked with the FDNY and other city agencies for nearly eight years to work through — and help define — the permitting process.
This matters because batteries can make rooftop solar far more useful, especially in a dense city where space is limited and grid pressure can spike during extreme weather.
A home battery can store electricity generated during the day and make it available later, including during outages or high-demand periods. For homeowners, that can mean greater energy resilience, better use of rooftop solar, and potentially lower utility costs depending on how the system is used.
For the city, wider adoption of residential storage could help reduce strain on the grid as electricity demand rises. That is becoming increasingly important as hotter summers, stronger storms, and building electrification put more pressure on energy systems.
It is also a meaningful development for a place like New York, where the combination of older buildings, limited roof space, and strict safety regulations has slowed home battery adoption. If this first project becomes a model for others, it could unlock a new layer of energy flexibility in neighborhoods across the boroughs.
The biggest breakthrough may be that this project appears to have created a workable path forward.
By getting the system permitted and installed, Brooklyn SolarWorks and Briggs & Stratton have effectively shown other homeowners, installers, and regulators what it takes to bring residential battery storage to NYC rooftops safely and legally.
That means more city residents may eventually be able to add batteries to their own solar systems.
For homeowners interested in similar upgrades, connect with the experts at EnergySage to learn more about solar panels and batteries. EnergySage has teamed up with the electrification company Qmerit to ensure homeowners snag the best price and battery system possible based on their home and budget.
Another company offering accessible backup power solutions is Pila, whose plug-and-play battery systems cost a fraction of what many whole-home backup systems typically run. The systems provide a simpler, lower-cost way for homeowners and renters alike to keep essential devices powered during outages.
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