About this episode

The episode discusses battery energy storage fire safety and the permitting challenges faced by developers, featuring insights from expert Mike Nicholas.

Battery energy storage fire safety is one of the most urgent permitting challenges facing solar and storage developers in 2026. Mike Nicholas, Energy Storage Specialist and Fire Consultant at Hiller Companies, brings a rare perspective: he built Kern County's entire BESS permitting program from scratch in 2019, when no national standards existed, and now travels the country helping developers, EPCs, and fire departments get these projects to yes. Kern County has the highest concentration of r...

People in this episode

Hosts: Tim Montague, John Weaver

Guest: Mike Nicholas

Topics covered

• battery storage
• fire safety
• solar energy
• permitting challenges
• energy storage
• consulting

Keywords

• battery storage
• fire safety
• permitting
• solar developers
• energy storage specialist
• Kern County
• BESS

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hiller Companies

Places: Kern County

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