Results of the investigation into the Tesla Megapack fire at the Victorian Big Battery will be closely observed and could influence the way such systems are designed and built, according to Paul Christensen, a professor of electrochemistry at Newcastle University whose research focuses on lithium ion battery fires and safety.
Without speaking to the Victorian Big Battery’s design specifically, Christensen told CNBC he would like to see fire and rescue teams involved early on in the design and installation of energy storage systems.
“If the design is approved and then the fire and rescue service are brought in, that’s the wrong way around,” he said.
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Christensen said developers of utility-scale batteries needed to offer a means of monitoring the system that would allow owners, operators and fire crews to see what’s going on inside the system at any time. These systems should be designed to allow space for first responders to manoeuvre around and aim a hose. Plenty of water should available on site, with enough hydrants installed. Containers would ideally have “dead pipes” that are capped and stick out, allowing firefighters to connect a hose, then step away and flood the container to extinguish the flames from a safe distance.
Fires burn particularly hot and repeated re-ignition is a risk with lithium ion battery cells, and researchers are currently exploring alternative suppressants and approaches to the current method of extinguishing lithium-ion battery fires with water.
Since lithium ion battery technology is relatively new, there’s not enough information about how safe large energy storage systems are and where improvements can still be made, Christensen said.
“The number of instances involving lithium ion batteries, fires and explosions of all kinds, in terms of the number of lithium ion batteries on the planet is still tiny,” Christensen said.
“When an electric vehicle or a big energy storage installation goes up, it’s big news. This can cause a disproportionate amount of worry.”
There have been around 40 known fires that have occurred within large-scale, lithium ion battery energy storage systems, according to Christensen’s research. Those incidents, most of which occurred in the past three years, date back to 2012, and include four fires at three facilities in the U.S. in Arizona, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Lithium-iron phosphate batteries are currently considered to be the safest form of lithium ion battery because the structure of the material in its cathode doesn’t break down until higher temperatures compared to other types of batteries.
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The safety of large energy systems employing LFP batteries is currently being reviewed in light of recent developments.
The Tesla Megapack fire required the support of more than 30 fire trucks and support vehicles and about 150 fire fighters from the CFA and local Fire Rescue Victoria to contain the flames so they only affected two Megapacks of the approximately 210 that make up the system.
Surrounding neighborhoods received toxic air alerts but the air quality had improved to healthier levels by Sunday.
