What a major battery fire at power plant in California means for the future of energy storage

We know that electric vehicles occasionally suffer from spontaneous combustion!

The Los Angeles wildfires were not the only significant fires burning in California!

Supposedly, this fire affected only old batteries? If you can believe it.

"A few weeks ago, a fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant in California, the world’s largest collection of batteries on the grid. Although the flames were extinguished in a few days, the metaphorical smoke is still clearing. ...

The Moss Landing fire was spotted in the afternoon on January 16, according to local news reports. It started small but quickly spread to a huge chunk of batteries at the plant. Over 1,000 residents were evacuated, nearby roads were closed, and a wider emergency alert warned those nearby to stay indoors. ...

The fire hit the oldest group of batteries installed at Moss Landing, a 300-megawatt array that came online in 2020. Additional installations bring the total capacity at the site to about 750 megawatts, meaning it can deliver as much energy to the grid as a standard coal-fired power plant for a few hours at a time.

According to a statement that site owner Vistra Energy gave to the New York Times, most of the batteries inside the affected building (the one that houses the 300MW array) burned. However, the company doesn’t have an exact tally, because crews are still prohibited from going inside to do a visual inspection. ...

This isn’t the first time that batteries at Moss Landing have caught fire—there have been several incidents at the plant since it opened. However, this event was “much more significant” than previous fires ...

There’s still a lot we don’t know about this fire, particularly when it comes to how it started.  Learning from the results of the ongoing investigations will be important, because we can only expect to see more batteries coming online in the years ahead. 

In 2023, there were roughly 54 gigawatts’ worth of utility-scale batteries on the grid globally. If countries follow through on stated plans for renewables, that number could increase tenfold by the end of the decade. ..."

What a major battery fire means for the future of energy storage | MIT Technology Review "The latest fire at Moss Landing Power plant is raising concerns about battery safety."

Moss Landing fire: One of the world's largest battery factories ablaze | The Independent

Fire chief: Toxic gas and electrocution present serious risks to firefighters putting out EV fires

Just a reminder! Huge tax subsidies are promoting the sale of EVs in many Western countries.

Maybe EVs are the future, but they are a very real present danger!

"A House subcommittee hearing revealed the extent of the hazard posed to firefighters and other first-responders from the effects of electric vehicle battery fires. ...

Lithium-ion batteries can experience what’s called “thermal runaway.” Inside the batteries are a cathode and an anode, which are physically separated by a component called a separator. If that separator is compromised as a result of a defect or damage from an accident, the battery cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state that produces extremely high temperatures, cell venting of toxic gasses, smoke and fire. ...

fires from electric vehicles produce a number of risks to firefighters, including exposure to toxic gasses and electrocution. The fires burn very hot, can take hours or even days to put out, and are at risk of reignition. ..."

Fire chief: Toxic gas and electrocution present serious risks to firefighters putting out EV fires | Just The News

Feuer-Inferno in Krefeld. Hier brennen 1200 Elektroroller in einer Halle

Wie gefährlich sind Elektrofahrzeuge?

Is It Time to Ban Electric Vehicles?

Food for thought! Frequent spontaneous combustion of electric vehicles is a very serious concern! It does not get the public attention it deserves! 

If it was not for the Global Warming hoax and the Climate Change religion, then these vehicles would probably not be allowed on the streets. It also explains, why the public is not supposed to learn more about the fire hazards of electric vehicles.

"The New York Fire Department recently reported that so far this year there have been 108 lithium-ion battery fires in New York City, which have injured 66 people and killed 13. According to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, “There is not a small amount of fire, it (the vehicle) literally explodes.” The resulting fire is “very difficult to extinguish and so it is particularly dangerous.”

Last year there were more than 200 fires from batteries from e-bikes, EVs and other devices. ...

As for the future of EVs, maybe it’s time for Ralph Nader to write a sequel to “Unsafe at Any Speed.” ..."

Stephen Moore: Is It Time to Ban Electric Vehicles?

Four killed in Manhattan e-bike fire

Electric vehicles can be hazardous! Keep that in mind!

E-bikes and e-scooters fire safety guidance

How great is actually the fire hazard of electric vehicles? How well is the general public being informed about this fire hazard?

"... Currently there is limited data relating to the number of fires, but London Fire Brigade reported 8 fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters in 2019. This rose to twenty-four in 2020 and fifty-nine by December 2021. ..."

E-bikes and e-scooters fire safety guidance

FDNY: Lithium-ion batteries sparked more than 200 fires in New York City in 2022, killing six people and injuring nearly 150

Does anyone collect these statistics? Are they being made public? Apparently the issue of fires cause by  lithium batteries is more serious than the public is lead to believe.

How do you like the idea that your e-bike, perhaps stored in your abode, suddenly could catch fire?

"Lithium-ion batteries sparked more than 200 fires in New York City last year alone, killing six people and injuring nearly 150. That’s double the amount of battery fires in 2021, according to the New York City Fire Department."

An exploding problem: Fires sparked by lithium batteries are confounding firefighters

Credits: The Heartland Institute Climate Change Weekly

Allianz-Studie: Auf Schiffen brennt es immer häufiger. Gefahrgut E-Autos

Ich gewinne immer mehr den Eindruck das die Brandgefahr von elektrischen Fahrzeugen (Scooter, Motorräder, Autos) möglicherweise absichtlich hintertrieben wird.

"Auch Autofrachter werden von den Risikoexperten skeptisch betrachtet, weil sich dort häufig Brände durch elektrische Kurzschlüsse entwickeln. Besonders hoch sei das Risiko im Fall von Elektroautos. Die Lithium-Ionen-Akkus seien hoch entzündlich. ...
Als Beispiel nennt die Allianz-Studie den Autotransporter Golden Ray, der im Herbst 2019 mit 4200 Fahrzeugen an Bord vor der amerikanischen Ostküste in Brand geriet und dann kenterte. Die Bergung dauerte fast zwei Jahre und kostete 800 Millionen Dollar."

Allianz-Studie: Auf Schiffen brennt es immer häufiger Allein in den vergangenen fünf Jahren hat es 70 Mal auf großen Schiffen gebrannt. Ein Grund dafür ist, dass Container mit Gefahrgut nicht oder falsch deklariert sind. Besonders hoch ist das Brand-Risiko beim Transport von E-Autos.

New York City: E-bikes have been responsible for over 100 fires, multiple deaths since the start of 2021

This is according to a report by the NYC Fire Department! Micromobility can be dangerous to your health.

Similar reports also have come out of India.

I am not aware of recent news about electric cars catching fire. Have electric cars become safer in the meantime or are the news suppressed or ignored? Or are they recalled in time (see e.g. here)?

"... FDNY put out four fires attributed to the bikes in a single day on Thursday [4/21/2022] One of those fires consumed two houses on East Ninth Street in Brooklyn. According to the Daily News, the fire took 100 firefighters over two hours to put out, and caused 7 injuries. The Fire Department said that these fires were nothing new, and that there have already been over 40 fires this year started by e-bikes, at least one of which has been deadly. Officials further said that there were over 100 such fires in 2021, leading to 79 injuries and at least four deaths. ..."

FDNY says e-bikes have been responsible for over 100 fires, multiple deaths since the start of 2021 - TheBlaze