Australian renewable energy pioneer Maoneng has announced that its proposed Battery Energy Storage System in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries as a result of their strong safety performance.
Lithium iron phosphate technology is used around the world in numerous applications, and the decision to adopt it follows an extensive technical analysis of various battery types available on the global market.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries have a relatively much higher thermal stability and less dense chemical composition than other varieties prominent in utility scale batteries, such as NMC technology, therefore significantly reducing risks.
In addition to the batteries, the Mornington BESS will also have other safety management measures incorporated into its design.
Among these will be a state-of-the-art fire detection system, plus an advanced fire suppression system that operates 24/7 and deploys a condensed aerosol agent to automatically handle any potential hazard in minutes.
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The fire suppression system is globally proven, and used in many critical applications to suppress fire in the enclosed special hazard conditions often found in power generation, battery energy storage, and oil and gas projects.
The agent itself is environmentally friendly, and typically remains suspended in the battery container to help prevent reignition.
Maoneng’s co-founder and CEO Morris Zhou said safety was the company’s top priority, and it was important for people to understand how battery technology varied and risks were mitigated.
“Batteries will play an increasingly important and necessary role as Australia transitions from traditional energy sources to renewable energy,” he said.
“Lithium iron phosphate technology has a very good safety record, which is why we have chosen it for the Mornington BESS. The batteries will be supported by other systems to enable a high level of confidence in our approach to safety.
