Re: battery fire

On 17/01/2025 15:03, john larkin wrote:
 >
 >
 > https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/16/moss-landing-power-plant-fire-evacuations-highway-1/?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAqEAgAKgcICjDWi6sLMNOWwwMwpvnXAw&utm_content=rundown
 >
 > Sounds expensive.
It will be. I'm presently fighting a bunch of cowboys with no track record at all trying to obtain planning consent to install a 1GW / 4GWhr BESS on my doorstep (that is bigger than the entire of Moss Landing). They have all the best consultants in the business working for them.
This big fire should really get the planners attention. Most helpful.
Despite it being a globally significant infrastructure project 20x bigger than the largest that is operational here in the UK it is a county council planning decision! Our government are clueless (as was the previous Tory administration).
 > Windmills, solar cells, batteries. May not be worth it long term.
Pumped storage is OK. Batteries will have to play their part but they need to be properly engineered and installed in the right places. Energy dense materials can be very dangerous if mishandled.
Lithium ion battery fires are virtually impossible to put out - you have to let them burn out and use boundary cooling on the neighbouring modules with copious amounts of water. Looks like this one managed to get away from the fire fighters (which isn't supposed to happen).
The ones near me will be hung onto two of the most overloaded N-S supergrid lines in the UK and so effectively useless at times of peak need. Buffering should always be either at source or close to point of use so that network infrastructure can be used to full capacity.
 > Luckily, the wind is not blowing the crud our way right now.
I hope the wind direction doesn't change.
Many thanks for the heads up about this one!
--
Martin Brown