Battery Energy Storage Systems Guidance Report Australia 2023

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There have been a number of BESS installations in the past decade; most notably, the South Australian Hornsdale and Victorian Big Battery facilities are two of the larger sites globally. There are currently a number of grid-scale BESS facilities under construction and a multitude of projects which are soon to begin or have been confirmed [3].
Despite the many advantages that electrochemical storage present, from an asset and public safety perspective there have been numerous self-heating and thermal runaway incidents associated with Li-ion batteries [4] [5] [6]. These events have increased the awareness of thermal risks associated with Li-ion BESS installations, and have highlighted that there are ‘unknown unknowns’ associated with large-scale electrochemical storage. With BESS facilities, the number of electrical connections and piping couplings required increases with the number of battery cells and modules. Until recently, there has been minimal variation in battery cell size, and with modular design components of a set size, it is inferred that the number of failure points will tend to increase linearly with the size of the facility. Therefore, larger facilities are likely to have more failures than smaller ones and, if not designed properly, these failures can escalate to other nearby cells, modules and beyond. This is starting to change as proponents, regulators and equipment manufacturers are actively embracing recent learnings alongside continual technological and scientific advances.
Logically, larger facilities need more comprehensive safety control systems, and more detailed siting and layout assessment than smaller facilities to achieve similar risk levels. Various stakeholders are seeking a consistent and mature approach to implement the safety controls system to achieve well defined and acceptable risk levels.
The Australian Energy Council (AEC) are cognisant of these issues and how the accelerated pace towards a low emissions future, although positive, poses challenges. Currently representing “20 major electricity and downstream natural gas businesses operating in the competitive wholesale and retail markets [7],” the AEC secretariat represent a team of energy analysts, economists, and public policy advocates. Members have recognised that the experience and knowledge associated with managing conventional power stations is not wholly transferrable to new energy generation and storage facilities. Utilising the AEC’s extensive network, GHD has been commissioned to produce preliminary guidance material to initiate and facilitate collaboration amongst its member organisations towards a harmonised leading practice approach for grid-scale BESS facilities in Australia.
1.2 Purpose of this guidance material
These recent battery thermal and explosion events have highlighted to the AEC the potential issues associated with current operational grid-scale BESS facilities as well as those planned within the AEMO’s pipeline of new facilities.
The purpose of this engagement is to provide the AEC with informed guidance material associated with grid-scale (or commonly referred to as large-scale) battery energy storage facilities which will aim to capture the hazards and risks associated with the life cycle of a BESS facility. Due to the accelerated pace of battery chemistry development, the guidance material presented primarily focuses on lithium-ion based chemistries, with supporting commentary on vanadium redox flow batteries. This report summaries GHD’s findings from:
– The literature review. The literature review completed examines the evolution of battery chemistry, issues such as thermal runaway, and provides a summary of recent grid-scale BESS incidents. From this, GHD reviewed the potential environmental and societal implications and identified potential gaps and opportunities moving forward, thus informing the guidance material
– Review of relevant standards, acts, regulations, and available guidance material
– Interview sessions with five (5) relevant stakeholders, identifying how these parties currently form part of the consultation and/or approvals processes needed for the development, operation, and decommissioning of grid-scale BESS facilities
– Broader industry knowledge of good practice, and harmonised approaches of identifying and managing safety, utilising the well-established fundamental principles and approaches from other industries and sectors, such as the rail and transport industries, the power sector, oil and gas, dams, and nuclear
From these findings, this report articulates suggested key elements required for guidance material associated with grid-scale BESS facilities. A supporting high-level risk assessment provides a summary of the potential safety, health, environment, and quality issues identified during the aforementioned reviews and interviews. This was subsequently translated into a guidance flow-chart to assist future stakeholders with implementing a consistent, risk-informed approach to grid-scale BESS facilities.
GHD | Australian Energy Council Limited | 12591546 | Battery Energy Storage Systems 2