Safety of Industrial Energy Storage Cabinets

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.

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.

Energy storage safety gaps identified in 2014 and 2023. Several gap areas were identified for validated safety and reliability, with an emphasis on Li-ion system design and operation but a recognition that significant research is needed to identify the risks of emerging technologies.

Safety and degradation of beyond-Li-ion technology: Many emerging energy storage technologies are presented as 'safer' alternatives to Li-ion systems. Full, rigorous FMEAs still need to be completed for these new technologies to understand their unique safety and degradation profiles.

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.

A framework is provided for evaluating issues in emerging electrochemical energy storage technologies. The report concludes with the identification of priorities for advancement of the three pillars of energy storage safety: 1) science-based safety validation, 2) incident preparedness and response, 3) codes and standards.