NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 46

Guidance
needed
Also unresolved are questions of how to respond to an
ESS in the midst of thermal runaway, and what to do after
the event is over. Had firefighters in Surprise opted to not
open the door, they may have been stuck at the scene for
days waiting for the situation to resolve. It raises a host of
questions with no good answers. When is it safe to turn
the system back to the owners? Who is responsible for
declaring the scene is safe-the fire department, the battery
owner, the manufacturer,
or
someone else?
What if the battery
is spewing
toxic gases in,
say, Manhattan
or an occupied
building, and
not at the edge
of the desert? In
that case, is the
safest tactic for
the fire department
to still just
wait it out?
" Even if we
are able to
safely ventilate
it, where do
those gases go,
and are we creating
secondary
hazards because
of where they
go? I think
that's going to
be a major challenge, "
Kerber
said.
NFPA 125th ANNIVERSARY
CONFERENCE SERIES
nfpa.org/conferenceseries
KEEPING HAZARDS SAFE
October 5
Safety and protection strategies for energy
storage systems will be discussed as part
of " Keeping Hazards Safe, " a day of virtual
presentations and roundtable discussions
happening October 5 as part of the NFPA
125th Anniversary Conference Series.
Specific presentations are still being finalized,
but organizers say that the event will
include a session and roundtable discussion
on the ESS incident in Surprise, Arizona.
Other topics could include NFPA 30,
Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code;
combustible dust hazards; photovoltaic
systems; alternative fuel vehicles; and more.
GLOBAL TRENDS AND RESEARCH
November 2
Energy storage systems are one of the
many emerging global fire safety challenges
that will be discussed during " Global
Trends and Research: Preparing today for
tomorrow's challenges, " a daylong event on
November 2 and part of NFPA's 125th Anniversary
Conference Series. Presentations
and speakers have not yet been finalized,
but organizers say the event will feature
sessions on ESS, building resiliency, and
other important trends impacting fire safety
across the globe.
For updated information on all NFPA 125th
Anniversary Conference Series events and
to see a full schedule when available,
visit nfpa.org/conferenceseries.
Another
major challenge
is large
consumer
lithium-ion batteries,
including
the Tesla Powerwall,
which
are becoming
more popular. The systems are marketed as a way for
homeowners to store solar power and to use for backup
energy during outages. While the benefits to consumers are
obvious, Ruiz and others can only shrug about what might
happen if a serious thermal runaway event occurs inside a
residence.
" If you're out here in Phoenix, Arizona, it's not good
idea to have your battery unit on the outside of the house
because it can be damaged with our heat, so they are going
to be inside homes, " Ruiz said. " And on this one, I think the
46 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2021
cart is way ahead of the horse. It's not like you can just let
it burn because it's going to burn down the whole house.
What do you do? "
When asked about the prospect of big energy storage
systems being installed in high-rise buildings in New York,
as has been proposed, or on rooftops to collect solar energy,
Ruiz is again at a loss. " I certainly don't have the answer, but
I do admire the problem, " he said with a smile.
But there is reason for optimism on these and other issues.
National labs, nonprofits like the Fire Protection Research
Foundation and academia, and countless private companies
are spending many millions of dollars on research to better
understand these problems, including what happens during
thermal runaway and how to stop or prevent it. What's more,
a greater portion of this research, which had been proprietary,
is coming into public view where it can be used to
strengthen standards and design better batteries (see " How
Much Protection is Enough? " on previous spread).
This research is already bearing fruit. New gas detection
technologies with remote monitoring are making their
way into installations across the world. Designs like the
McMicken battery, where thousands of battery cells are
stacked close together in racks in one big room, seem to
be falling out of favor. The trend now is for more modular
systems, with smaller battery units housed separately in cabinets
so that if one fails it does not spread to the rest. There
are now even systems being installed directly outside so that
proper venting and trapped flammable gases are not issues.
The Peoria Fire-Medical Department is getting a good view
of this progress. Several months after the McMicken explosion,
the utility company Salt River Project announced plans
to install a massive 250-megawatt ESS project called the
Sonoran Energy Center several miles from Peoria. The facility-more
than 100 times larger than McMicken-will use
Tesla batteries and will be one of the largest ESS installations
in the country.
Whereas firefighters hadn't heard of the McMicken facility
until they arrived during the incident, Ruiz said this time
utility officials contacted him immediately. In late June, Salt
River representatives, along with experts from Tesla, hosted
a daylong training for firefighters on the specific battery
installation and have offered tours of the site. According to
Ruiz, the Tesla battery cabinets are outside, and there will
be a remote battery management system. He said the battery
cabinets have their own internal cooling systems, as well as
ignition systems that can ignite and burn off gases quickly if
they detect an excess.
" We used to say we need to fight fire with fire-now in this
technological age it's fight technology with technology, " Ruiz
said, " and I do think the direction is definitely going safer. "
But, he added, he's not letting his guard down. He's seen
what can happen, and he doesn't want to get that phone call
again. " When we're called, it's usually when things don't work
out the way they're supposed to, " he said. " So you have to stay
aware, and you have to stay educated. "
JESSE ROMAN is senior editor at NFPA Journal.
http://www.nfpa.org/conferenceseries http://www.nfpa.org/conferenceseries
NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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