boom in giant batteries hits another roadblock: cities' fear of fire - home battery system

The new era of big batteries is already in hot electricity-
Car accidents in America and EuropeNow, U. S.
City planners worry about the same risksto-
With the explosion of these forces
Storage units enter the basement and roof.
"You can keep these things on fire and they'll be reignited in a few hours or days," Paul Rogers said . " This poses a new challenge for emergency personnel, who led New York City's efforts to establish battery safety standards until he retired as a lieutenant in the fire department this year. Firefighters —
"If they behave improperly --
"They may be killed," he said . ".
Improvements in energy storage are radically changing the way and when electricity is used.
Today, batteries fuel a variety of machines such as smartphones and electric vehicles.
The latest trend is that in urban spaces such as office buildings and shopping malls, battery racks stacked in the size of studio apartments are being installed.
These devices enable buyers to take advantage of lower
Cost and renewable energy and provide backup power during a large blackout.
But the same chemistry makes lithium
So effective ion batteries can also be dangerous.
Although fires are rare, overheating equipment can be ignited.
While water can put out battery fires, it requires more water than other types of fires. A few high-
Personal data fires, including mobile phones, laptops, electric cars and even large jets, some city officials have called for more cautious and clear standards before storage units finally enter buildings.
According to the electric Research Institute of the research group, New York's efforts to review the safety of these battery systems have limited their deployment.
No lithium.
The ion battery system has been installed in a building there, although four buildings have been approved for use in outdoor space, United Edison, New York utilitysaid.
The New York Fire Department said it did not deliberately slow down the facility.
The agency just wanted to make sure that "these facilities meet the appropriate safety standards," said Ronald spatafula, head of fire prevention at the department.
"A lot of code officials, they don't know how to deal with it," says Rogers-ion batteries. Lithium-
Ion batteries are much cheaper.
Prices have fallen by nearly 80% since 2010.
As demand for electric vehicles increases.
This adds to the appeal of utility integrated batteries that can store intermittent energy generated by wind and solar power plants.
Commercial building owners can deploy batteries when they are cheap to buy energy, and then use them to power air conditioners and lights in hot summer when electricity prices soar.
California, New York and Massachusetts have set targets to increase the storage capacity of the grid, and New York City wants 100 MW
Deployment time as of 2020
Full power 25,000 to 80,000 homes an hour, wide
The range of electricity used by residents is estimated.
Although the battery fire is rare, e-
Boeing, one of the world's most advanced jets, has cigarettes, laptops and even battery packs.
787, leading to government restrictions and frightening headlines.
In 2012, an energy storage system consisting of lead
Acid batteries caught fire next to a wind farm in Hawaii. The U. S.
The National Traffic Safety Commission is investigating two recent fires at Tesla.
There was also a big fire last year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is responsible for setting vehicle safety standards, said it is collecting information about a recent episode in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Swiss police are investigating the deadly Tesla accident that triggered a fire last week.
Events like this have some government officials urging more research into the risk of larger batteries in buildings.
A unit can be as small as a school locker or as standard 8-by-20-
Foot container.
"Installation of lithium --
"Ion and other new energy storage technologies offer exciting opportunities, but they also bring significant security issues," Spadafora said . ".
"The large-scale facilities necessary to provide electricity to buildings and building systems can cause very serious fires and lives --safety hazards.
In San Francisco, the fire department said lithium
Ion batteries in buildings with a capacity of more than 20 KW-
For fixed battery systems, the number of hours must comply with the City and California fire regulations.
The rules include placing batteries in separate rooms with automatic sprinkler, ventilation and smoke detection systems.
New York is more cautious about green lighting, partly because the largest city in the United States is so dense.
The fire department said it would take time to develop its own guidelines so that researchers could conduct tests that would help to identify appropriate safety measures.
"Many municipalities are waiting to hear what New York is doing," Rogers said . ".
Last month, New York City fire and construction department, New York City University, New York State Energy Research and Development Agency and utility company Con Edison released a guide to allow and connect outdoor lithiumion systems.
"We are trying to scale up," said Tria Case, director of sustainability at the City University of New York, who is responsible for promoting energy development.
Storage Guide.
"It is necessary to set standards so that each project does not have to appear in the case --by-case analysis.
Case said: "New York City should have a guide to installing indoor storage systems in buildings by the end of the year.
This will help reduce the deployment time and cost of the system.
Susanne DesRoches said: "We are excited about the role battery storage can play in small and large scale, but we have to balance this with the safety issues of the first responders, deputy director of energy and infrastructure at the mayor's office of New York City.
According to Kelly Speakes, so far efforts to develop a consistent regulation have not caused any bottlenecks in the installation
Beckman, chief executive of the Energy Storage Association. , a Washington-
Basic Industry group working with the city.
"Of course, the first thing we care about is security . "
Beckman said in an interview at an industry conference in Boston last month.
"We are participating in the working group to help ensure that these standards are safe and sound.