Analysis plan for new energy storage safety issues

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 a large-scale solar battery energy storage system improve accident prevention and mitigation?

This work describes an improved risk assessment approach for analyzing safety designs in the battery energy storage system incorporated in large-scale solar, which can enhance accident prevention and mitigation through the incorporation of probabilistic event tree and systems theoretic analysis.

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.

What are the gaps in energy storage safety assessments?

One gap in current safety assessments is that validation tests are performed on new products under laboratory conditions, and do not reflect changes that can occur in service or as the product ages. Figure 4. Increasing safety certainty earlier in the energy storage development cycle. 8. Summary of Gaps

Are grid-scale battery energy storage systems safe?

Despite widely known hazards and safety design, grid-scale battery energy storage systems are not considered as safe as other industries such as chemical, aviation, nuclear, and petroleum. There is a lack of established risk management schemes and models for these systems.

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.