On Sept. 18, California’s main grid battery at Moss Landing caught fire for the fourth time in seven years after roughly 1,500 units sparked on their own [1][2]. Twelve days later, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws to pay homeowners for the power stored in their garage batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and smart thermostats [4].
Why it matters: California spent years betting on giant lithium plants to save daytime solar for evening peaks. Now, the state’s main site is a fire risk built with a closed design the industry no longer uses [1]. San Jose State professor Dustin Mulvaney puts it simply: “If we had only known the worst-case scenarios of how not to build batteries, we wouldn’t have built Moss Landing.” [1]
My read: The failure of the big battery just made the case for the small one. California runs the nation’s largest battery fleet [1], yet Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has kept its nearby Elkhorn plant dark since a January 2025 fire [3]. Senate Bill (SB) 913 steps into that gap, ordering the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to price the power customer-owned batteries send back to a stressed grid [5].
By the numbers:
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1,500 units burned: Roughly 1,500 still-charged, hard-to-reach units caught fire while crews tried to take them apart [1].
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4th fire since 2019: The Sept. 18 blaze marks the site’s fourth safety failure in seven years [1].
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2 new laws: SB 905 and SB 913 order the state to pay customers for their battery power [4].
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July 2027 restart: PG&E’s nearby Elkhorn plant stays offline until mid-2027 [3].
What I’d watch: Industry experts view this fire as a chemistry lesson. Moss Landing used nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) in a tightly packed layout, which is less stable than newer options [3]. Today’s home batteries rely on lithium iron phosphate (LFP), a mix that avoids the same intense fires when damaged [1].
What I keep circling is whether homeowners know to ask for LFP by name, or if they just buy “a battery.”
Three signals I am watching next:
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The CPUC’s math: The bill’s author was “shocked” Newsom signed it, and trade groups warn the next governor’s CPUC will decide if customer bills actually drop [5].
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Who stays outside: Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 1813, a shared solar program, the exact same day he signed the virtual power plant (VPP) bills [4]. Renters who cannot buy an EV or home battery miss out.
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The chemistry message: The fire points to aging NMC designs, not modern LFP setups [1][3]. I want to see if sales teams explain this difference to homeowners buying backup systems today.
The catch: My read: this is not a clean passing of the torch. Moss Landing relies on an older design the industry has moved past, and experts stress this latest fire reveals nothing new about modern battery safety [3]. Also, the VPP payout remains just an idea until the CPUC writes the actual pricing rules, especially since this governor vetoed three VPP bills last year [5].
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Sources
[1] CalMatters — “Moss Landing battery storage fire flares up again” (Sept 18, 2026) — https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/09/moss-landing-battery-fire-reignites-fears [2] Monterey County Dept. of Emergency Management — “2025/2026 Moss Landing Vistra Power Plant Fire” — https://www.readymontereycounty.org/emergency/2025-moss-landing-vistra-power-plant-fire [3] Canary Media — “Vistra’s Moss Landing grid battery is on fire yet again” (Sept 18, 2026) — https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/vistra-moss-landing-on-fire-again [4] Office of Governor Gavin Newsom — “Governor Newsom issues legislative update 9.30.2026” — https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/30/governor-newsom-issues-legislative-update-9-30-2026/ [5] Canary Media — “Newsom finally says yes to virtual power plants” (Oct 1, 2026) — https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/virtual-power-plants/newsom-yes-to-virtual-power-plants