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A report from Leeward Renewable Energy has investigated battery energy storage system (BESS) fires and other thermal runaway events to try and put them into context.
Leeward Renewable Energy, a Dallas-based owner of US solar, wind, and battery storage projects, has released a report on BESS hazards to highlight the causes of thermal runaway and fires in lithium-ion batteries and to place them in context. The study, by Thomas Ebel, senior manager of BESS engineering at Leeward, examined potential causes of BESS hazards, the effects of different battery chemistry, and lessons learned from previous incidents.
The report did not factor in mechanical damage from accidents or natural events such as earthquakes and tornadoes.
Various scenarios considered BESS hazards including spikes or short-circuits running through electrodes from mechanical and/or electrochemical stress inside battery cells. The report found such stresses tend to result from electrolyte degradation or improper voltage forced into a battery system. Such events result in excessive heat that can cause thermal runaway. |
