Photovoltaic energy storage project caught fire

What happened at California's largest lithium-ion battery energy storage facility?

A fire at a California lithium-ion battery energy storage facility once described as the world’s largest has burned for five days, prompting evacuation orders. The fire broke out on Wednesday at the 250MW Gateway Energy Storage facility owned by grid infrastructure developer LS Power in San Diego.

Can a battery energy storage system cause a fire?

A permit application notice for a battery energy storage system on the fence of the former San Diego Equestrian Foundation, May 24, 2024. The concern is that batteries will overheat, leading to a chemical reaction with adjacent batteries that can cause fires in what's known as thermal runaway.

What happened at Gateway Energy Storage in San Diego?

The fire broke out on Wednesday at the 250MW Gateway Energy Storage facility owned by grid infrastructure developer LS Power in San Diego. A fire crew managed to get the blaze at the 16,000-square foot facility under control after around 24 hours, lifting evacuation orders that were made.

Do battery cells heat up and off-gas hydrogen before catching fire?

Battery cells typically heat up and off-gas hydrogen before catching fire. Guarniere said AES has taken lessons learned from previous battery energy storage system (BESS) failures to apply them here. Those precautions, however, haven't eased Brenda Wright's concerns.

Is battery storage a 'thermal runaway'?

State policymakers are still bullish on battery storage but concede that issues leading to “thermal runaway” — where excessive heat inside a battery leads to a chemical reaction that spreads to other batteries in a chain reaction — need to be resolved. “The stakes are high,” said David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission.

What is the Seguro energy storage project?

An aerial rendering of the proposed Seguro Energy Storage Project that Fortune 500 company AES wans to build in Eden Valley, between San Marcos and Escondido. The project would be built on a 22.5-acre plot of land and store enough batteries to power an estimated 240,000 homes for four hours. (AES)