How can a holistic approach improve battery energy storage system safety?

Current battery energy storage system (BESS) safety approaches leads to frequent failures due to safety gaps. A holistic approach aims to comprehensively improve BESS safety design and management shortcomings. 1. Introduction

Are battery energy storage systems safe?

The integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS) throughout our energy chain poses concerns regarding safety, especially since batteries have high energy density and numerous BESS failure events have occurred.

What is a battery energy storage system?

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) stabilize the electrical grid, ensuring a steady flow of power to homes and businesses regardless of fluctuations from varied energy sources or other disruptions. However, fires at some BESS installations have caused concern in communities considering BESS as a method to support their grids.

Is a holistic approach to battery energy storage safety a paradigm shift?

The holistic approach proposed in this study aims to address challenges of BESS safety and form the basis of a paradigm shift in the safety management and design of these systems. Current battery energy storage system (BESS) safety approaches leads to frequent failures due to safety gaps.

How to reduce the safety risk associated with large battery systems?

To reduce the safety risk associated with large battery systems, it is imperative to consider and test the safety at all levels, from the cell level through module and battery level and all the way to the system level, to ensure that all the safety controls of the system work as expected.

What components go into building a battery energy storage system?

Figure 1 depicts the various components that go into building a battery energy storage system (BESS) that can be a stand-alone ESS or can also use harvested energy from renewable energy sources for charging. The electrochemical cell is the fundamental component in creating a BESS.