Are Battery Energy Storage Systems safe?

Battery chemistry matters.

This diagram illustrates the basic structure and operation of a lithium-ion battery during charging and discharging. It shows the movement of electrons through an external circuit to a load while ions flow internally through the electrolyte/separator between the anode (on the left) and the cathode (on the right). The diagram highlights the directional flow of electrons and ions during both charging (black arrows) and discharging (red arrows).

YOU’VE LIKELY SEEN the videos of hoverboards catching fire and exploding because of a malfunction of the lithium-ion batteries that power them. You’ve probably read or heard about houses burning down because lithium-ion batteries were left unattended while they were charging and failed, or you’ve seen the videos of batteries in electric buses catching fire. It’s a real concern. Lithium-ion batteries have a lot of densely packed energy. The cathode in these batteries is an oxidizing agent, and the anode and electrolyte are basically fuel. The combination of the two is potent. Battery energy storage systems are large collections of individual cells, and some have enough energy to power an entire stage for hours. What could possibly go wrong?

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