The Remarkable Decline of Battery Storage Failures: Pushing for Greater Industrial Transparency

Ever since there's been a noteworthy reduction in battery storage failure incidents in recent years, the battery storage industry has been finding itself heaving a collective sigh of relief. However, despite this promising trend, there's a persistent need for the industry to cultivate greater transparency and foster an environment in which incident data is openly shared when mishaps occur.

This is one of the main insights echoed in a groundbreaking study recently released by a trifecta of revered entities - US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and TWAICE, the data analytics maestro.

The report, hailed as the initial public analysis of battery energy storage system failures (BESS), primarily hinges upon EPRI's BESS Failure Incident Database and lays bare the root causes underlying certain incidents registered in the database.

The authors have crafted this report with the intention to alleviate concerns about BESS performance and safety, thereby spotlighting loopholes that need urgent attention.

In terms of figures, the failure incident rate has plunged by an impressive 97% between the period of 2018 and 2023. A graph in the study demonstrates a progression from roughly 9.2 setbacks per GW of BESS introduced in 2018 to around 0.2 in 2023.

However, when failures do occur, there's typically a cloud of obscurity surrounding the prime causes—an absence that leads to a gap in industry-wide understanding about appropriate response mechanisms.

For example, while the safety reputation of lithium batteries often find themselves on the line in the aftermath of fires or explosions, the report indicates that 65% of incidents could be tracked down to battery operation and integration, while a mere 11% were actually triggered by the breakdown of battery cells or modules.

Sadly, there's a conspicuous lack of public resources that compile failure events per their root cause, let alone a federal, state, or local obligation to disclose incidents in the US. This situation is compounded by legal hurdles preventing comprehensive root cause analyses from entering the public domain.

The report does, however, highlight a shift in the narrative: for events recorded prior to 2017, definitive root causes were few and far between but grew more discernable post-2018. The industry underwent a maturity phase around 2017-2018, with yearly worldwide BESS deployments outstripping a gigawatt, heralding "the advent of the commercial BESS industry", as termed in the report.

The authors identify a recurrent reluctance amongst battery OEMs and integrators as a significant factor restricting transparency. Out of 81 incidents listed in the database, the public received detailed root cause information related to a scanty 26 failures.

A Strong Advocacy for Classifying Incidents

The report underscores the urgent need for a cogent classification of failure incidents per their root cause. This would serve to broaden understanding of the failure occurrence process, identify the most susceptible components, and expand the corpus of knowledge of both finesse-based and green-the-gills stakeholders.

The authors lay down five plausibly root causes: design, manufacturing, integration—including assembly and construction—and operation. Meanwhile, three tiers of system elements can be segregated in each incident: cells/modules, controls, and balance of system (BOS).

Among these, BOS failures, encapsulating power conversion system (PCS), thermal management and other non-battery hardware, were found most frequently entangled with controls. When it comes to root causes, it is predominantly within integration, assembly and construction that the devils of failure reside.

Newly-launched projects run the highest risk of experiencing a failure, a chilling fact that 72% of incidents—those occurring during construction, commissioning or within the maiden two operational years—stand testimony to.

ACE Battery’s Reliable BESS Solutions

In order to minimize failure risks and ensure safe reliable operation, ACE Battery offers a state-of-the-art BESS solutions. ACE Battery's C&I battery energy storage systems are built with advanced technology and stringent quality control measures to address the root causes of failures effectively.

Key Features of ACE Battery’s BESS Solutions:

• Comprehensive Safety Mechanisms: ACE Battery systems are equipped with advanced safety features, including robust thermal management and integrated control systems to prevent overheating and ensure stable operation.

• High-Quality Manufacturing: Adhering to stringent manufacturing standards, ACE Battery ensures each component is rigorously tested for quality and reliability, significantly reducing the likelihood of manufacturing-related failures.

• Efficient Integration and Installation: ACE Battery provides comprehensive integration services to ensure seamless assembly and operation of BESS. Their solutions are designed for easy installation and maintenance, reducing the risk of integration-related issues.

• Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance: ACE Battery’s systems include advanced monitoring capabilities that provide real-time data on system performance, allowing for proactive maintenance and swift resolution of potential issues.

By choosing ACE Battery’s solutions, stakeholders can benefit from reduced failure rates, enhanced safety, and improved overall efficiency of their battery energy storage systems. For more information on ACE Battery’s innovative ESS solutions, visit their official website.