Battery storage fire destroys solar site ESS in Yeongju, South Korea

At around 3:55pm on 12 November 2018, a fire of unknown cause broke out at a solar power facility in Jangsu-myeon, Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The fire occurred in a 33 square metre sandwich panel building housing an energy storage system (ESS) that was on standby after charging. All 374 lithium-ion batteries installed in the ESS were burned. The fire was extinguished within about an hour. The fire department estimated property damage at approximately 702.25 million won. The solar facility, rated at 1,500 kW, had received its generation licence in July of the previous year. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident.

The exact cause of the fire was not determined at the time of reporting. Local reporting noted that solar and ESS facilities in the region lacked specific firefighting standards, and that lithium-ion battery fires can reach temperatures that standard gas-based fire suppression systems cannot cool.

1. ESS facilities co-located with solar generation require fire detection and suppression systems specifically designed for lithium-ion battery thermal events, as standard heat and smoke detectors and gas suppression systems may be inadequate.
2. Early detection technologies such as aspirating smoke detectors or gas detectors can help identify battery off-gassing before a fire develops.
3. Regulatory frameworks for fire safety at ESS sites should be reviewed and updated as deployment of battery storage increases, particularly for outdoor or standalone enclosures.

kyongbuk.co.kr/news/articleView.html