Safety risks of electrochemical energy storage

What are the safety concerns with thermal energy storage?

The main safety concerns with thermal energy storage are all heat-related. Good thermal insulation is needed to reduce heat losses as well as to prevent burns and other heat-related injuries. Molten salt storage requires consideration of the toxicity of the materials and difficulty of handling corrosive fluids.

What are electrochemical energy storage deployments?

Summary of electrochemical energy storage deployments. Li-ion batteries are the dominant electrochemical grid energy storage technology. Characteristics such as high energy density, high power, high efficiency, and low self-discharge have made them attractive for many grid applications.

What is electrochemical energy storage?

Electrochemical energy storage includes various types of batteries that convert chemical energy into electrical energy by reversible oxidation-reduction reactions. Batteries are currently the most common form of new energy storage deployed because they are modular and scalable across diverse applications and geographic locations.

What happens if an energy storage system fails?

Any failure of an energy storage system poses the potential for significant financial loss. At the utility scale, ESSs are most often multi-megawatt-sized systems that consist of thousands or millions of individual Li-ion battery cells.

What's new in energy storage safety?

Since the publication of the first Energy Storage Safety Strategic Plan in 2014, there have been introductions of new technologies, new use cases, and new codes, standards, regulations, and testing methods. Additionally, failures in deployed energy storage systems (ESS) have led to new emergency response best practices.

Can energy storage systems be scaled up?

The energy storage system can be scaled up by adding more flywheels. Flywheels are not generally attractive for large-scale grid support services that require many kWh or MWh of energy storage because of the cost, safety, and space requirements. The most prominent safety issue in flywheels is failure of the rotor while it is rotating.