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.

Does energy storage need a regulatory framework?

Currently, no jurisdiction provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for energy storage. Instead, most jurisdictions define storage as 'generation' for licensing and other regulatory purposes.

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.

Does industry need energy storage standards?

As cited in the DOE OE ES Program Plan, “Industry requires specifications of standards for characterizing the performance of energy storage under grid conditions and for modeling behavior. Discussions with industry professionals indicate a significant need for standards ” [1, p. 30].

Should energy storage safety test information be disseminated?

Another long-term benefit of disseminating safety test information could be baselining minimum safety metrics related to gas evolution and related risk limits for creation of a pass/fail criteria for energy storage safety testing and certification processes, including UL 9540A.

Should energy storage be regulated?

A robust regulatory framework would reflect storage’s unique ability to act as generation and consumption and remove the need to pay end-user electricity consumption charges. The vast majority of countries do not have a specific subsidy regime.