Fire destroys 1,200 battery modules at Wando-gun solar storage site

In early 2019, a fire broke out in the battery energy storage system serving a solar power plant in Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The blaze destroyed part of the battery building, an area of about 61 square metres, along with roughly 1,200 battery modules housed inside, which were supplied by manufacturer INCELL. No injuries were reported. Emergency services attended in force and brought the fire under control within just over an hour. The system used lithium ion batteries in an indoor configuration and had been in service for just over a year at the time of the incident. Fire authorities initially attributed the fire to an electrical cause, with a fuller investigation into the precise origin ongoing at the time of reporting.

Fire authorities were reported as suspecting an electrical fault, described as provisional pending further investigation. No other contributing factors, such as design, installation quality or environmental conditions, were reported in the source.

1. Indoor battery storage buildings linked to solar generation should be compartmented and fitted with detection and suppression arranged to limit damage to a single room or module group.
2. Electrical faults should be identified early through continuous monitoring of cell and connection level parameters and periodic thermographic inspection, so that faults are addressed before they escalate to a battery fire.
3. After any storage fire, a full root cause investigation should be completed and the findings shared where possible, recognising that causes stated at the time of initial reporting are provisional.
4. Where a storage system has been in service for a short period, commissioning records and early operating data should be retained and made available to investigators.

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