Stop Battery Energy Storage Systems
(BESS) on Long Island
When it Comes to Analyzing BESS risk,
Size Matters
Cell phones with lithium ion batteries are commonplace, so why the concern about batteries?
The odds of having your cell phone go on fire is roughly 1 in a million. So if I am only buying one phone, I feel pretty good about not experiencing a fire. However if I buy a million phones, I can be pretty sure at least one will go on fire.
This analogy holds true for BESS systems. Bess facilities are not one big battery, they are comprised of many, many small batteries all wired together. Phase One at Moss Landing, which opened in 2020 and had the recent fire, has 4500 racks, with each rack containing 22 modules. A typical BESS module contains 44 individual battery cells. In that case, Moss Landing contained over 4 million individual battery cells. It's not hard to see how there have been multiple fires at that facility already, and why they should expect more fires if the facility is rebuilt.
Oyster Shore, the BESS facility proposed by Jupiter Power in Glenwood Landing, is a 1,100 MWh facility, only slightly smaller than Phase One of Moss Landing at 1,280 MWh. We can easily conclude that the number of individual batteries at Oyster Shore cells will also be in the millions. In that case, the odds of battery failure are actually very high. The only question is how serious the battery failures will be.
Is the New LFP Technology
(Lithium Iron Phosphate) Better?
Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LFP batteries) are generically called solid state batteries. It is a fundamentally different chemistry and design than lithium ion batteries and has several characteristics that make it preferable over lithium ion batteries.
But is it safe? Click on the short video above or the link below to find out.
Fire safety tech manufacturing defects in more than a quarter of grid battery storage systems
More than a quarter of grid battery systems could have quality problems with key fire safety systems, according to a new report on an in-factory audit.
The six-year audit by Denver-based consultancy Clean Energy Associates (CEA) found quality issues in components that identify and suppress fire in 26% of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and defective components that manage temperature in 18%.
The report entailed 320 inspections, factory quality audits on 52 BESS systems and covered a total 30GWh of lithium-ion energy storage projects.
‘Extremely disturbing’: High levels of heavy metals at Monterey estuary after lithium battery site fire
MIT Technology Review:
The $2.5 trillion reason we can’t rely on batteries to clean up the grid
Fluctuating solar and wind power require lots of energy storage, and lithium-ion batteries seem like the obvious choice—but they are far too expensive to play a major role.
Why Do Batteries Fail?
Electrical abuse: Exceeding voltage limits during charging or discharging can cause overheating.
Thermal stress: Internal overheating or exposure to high ambient temperatures can compromise the battery. Cold temperatures can cause internal overheating by increasing electrolyte viscosity and slowing ion transport.
Mechanical abuse: Physical damage such as crushing, indentation, or puncture from vibration or shock (which can occur during construction) can lead to overheating.
Manufacturing defects: Flaws in the chemical makeup or construction of the battery modules can make them prone to overheating.
Aging: Over time, batteries degrade, leading to increased internal resistance and heat generation.
Lack of proper thermal management: Inadequate cooling systems or thermal barriers can allow heat to build up within the battery cells
Rapid charging and discharging: Can generate more heat due to internal resistances.
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