What happened at the largest battery storage plant in Northern California?

A massive fire broke out Thursday afternoon at the world’s largest battery storage plants in Northern California, prompting evacuations and the closure of part of Highway 1. The blaze erupted at the Moss Landing Power Plant, which holds tens of thousands of lithium batteries used for storing solar power.

Why are energy storage facilities important?

Energy storage facilities like this one are essential for power grids to be able to keep enough excess solar and wind energy so it’s available when the sun goes down and winds wane. This isn’t the first battery fire in the area. A nearby Pacific Gas & Electric battery plant stocked with Tesla batteries caught fire back in 2022.

What happened suddenly at the north power station?

While fire fighters were dealing with a fire in the south area power station, a sudden explosion occurred in the north area power station without a warning. This incident resulted in the death of 2 fire fighters, injury of 1 fire fighter, and the missing of 1 power station employee.

What happened in the lithium battery energy storage system?

On 7th March 2017, a fire accident occurred in the lithium battery energy storage system of a power station in Shanxi province, China.

What happens if the energy storage system fails?

If the energy storage system lacks effective protective measures, it may cause the expansion of battery accidents. In case of a naked fire, the flammable gas may reach a certain concentration and cause an explosion. If the energy storage device is arranged indoors, a chain explosion accident may occur.

What happened at Moss Landing energy storage facility?

The fire started the afternoon of 16 January, burning through a concrete building full of lithium batteries at the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in Monterey county, California. Other buildings on the site, including more battery storage facilities and a natural gas plant, were not affected.