South Korean energy storage facilities must focus more on monitoring and prevention to avoid power failures, according to the findings of a review by DNV GL.
The testing and certification company produced its findings, following a fire at a large-scale South Korean energy storage plant.
DNV GL did the investigation at the request of the facility’s insurer, allowed the insurer to make an evidence-based pay-out decision.
In addition to identifying the minor manufacturing glitch that initiated the failure, the power failure investigation found that insufficient monitoring and protection systems allowed the failure to escalate into a major fire.
DNV GL Energy Asia Pacific executive vice president Nicolas Renon said: “Our in-depth and independent analysis of the incident highlighted differences between South Korean and international safety standards that can potentially make small failures more likely.
“The South Korean government is already in the process of reviewing it regulations, but we strongly recommend that South Korean energy storage systems project developers invest more time and intention in adequate monitoring and protection systems to stop these small failures becoming major, costly and highly expensive incidents.”
Building on the investigation, DNV GL has now been contracted to determine ways to assess the future usability of an energy storage system that has suffered a fire.
DNV GL stated, “It is hoped that the project will lead to methods for validating the state of a battery after a fire and determining how much of it remains functional.
“This will enable operators to make informed decisions on whether a damaged energy storage facility must be replaced or can continue to operate safely and economically at reduced capacity.”