Upcoming Changes: New National Standards for Energy Storage Safety on the Horizon

During the recent Two Sessions, a proposal by Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of CATL, to eliminate “defective” energy storage systems garnered significant attention within the industry.

Zeng suggested, “The government should quickly establish a new safety assurance mechanism for energy storage, drawing lessons from the regular maintenance protocols in the power sector to create a regular safety inspection system suitable for new energy storage technologies.”

He proposed referencing the “Guidelines for Equipment Maintenance in Power Generation Enterprises” to develop specific inspection plans for electrochemical energy storage stations, detailing the conditions, methods, and cycles for assessing energy storage systems and critical components. A regular safety inspection system would help promptly remove “defective” energy storage and ensure the safety and reliability of energy storage stations throughout their lifecycle. He noted that several domestic energy storage projects have faced quality and safety issues, including significant drops in lifespan and capacity, which severely impact operational dispatch.

As widely recognized in the industry, the rapid development of energy storage technology has led to its increased application in the energy sector, yet frequent safety issues have emerged as a core challenge to industry growth. Recent incidents abroad have once again brought energy storage safety to the forefront. For instance:

• On March 9, a fire at a photovoltaic energy storage facility in Gongjin-dong, South Korea destroyed over 500 square meters of the facility and 3,852 storage modules. Authorities suspect that the fire was caused by battery overheating and are investigating further.
• On February 21, a fire at a 50MW/100MWh energy storage station in Aberdeenshire, UK, forced nearby residents to evacuate.
• On February 19, a fire occurred at a construction site for an energy storage station in East Tilbury, Essex, UK, due to a battery cell failure.
• On the same day, a villa in northern Germany exploded due to overcharging in its photovoltaic energy storage system.
• On February 18, a major battery storage project in Moss Landing, USA, experienced a fire that reignited after a previous incident in January, resulting in a loss of 70% of the facility after an 8-hour blaze.

These frequent safety incidents highlight the stark contradiction between the industry’s rapid expansion and the lag in safety management. To ensure the safe and stable operation of lithium battery storage systems and reduce the likelihood of accidents, the National Standards Committee of China issued the mandatory national standard GB 44240-2024 for lithium batteries and battery packs in energy storage systems last July, which will officially take effect on August 1, 2024. This standard sets clear and specific safety requirements for lithium batteries and battery packs, marking a significant step forward in safety management for energy storage in China.

The GB 44240 standard, developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will become a prerequisite for supplier selection in domestic energy storage project tenders upon implementation. It is recognized as the highest specification for energy storage safety standards in the industry, focusing on industrial-grade and large-scale energy storage scenarios, with the aim of ensuring the reliable operation of energy storage systems throughout their lifecycle.

Compared to the current recommended national standard GB/T 36276 for battery storage, GB 44240 is a mandatory standard. Several testing clauses align with international standards such as IEC 62619 and UL 1973, focusing more intensively on product safety features. It introduces rigorous testing criteria including vibration, accelerated impact, shallow puncture, and forced discharge at the cell level, making some requirements much stricter.

The standard also emphasizes lifecycle management, covering the entire chain from design and manufacturing to operation and maintenance, and requires companies to establish fault warning and traceability systems, shifting the industry from “firefighting” approaches to “preventative” strategies. Industry experts believe the implementation of this mandatory national standard will compel companies to enhance product material stability and safety design. Some manufacturers with inadequate safety redundancies may face challenges requiring them to redesign their products. Furthermore, it will accelerate the exit of low-quality production capacities from the energy storage industry, raising entry barriers, and promoting a shift from “reckless expansion” to a focus on “safety-first” high-quality development, fostering a healthy and sustainable industry.

In the battery cell sector, leading companies are not only accelerating standard certifications but also committing to establish safety benchmarks for the energy storage industry through technological innovation and stringent quality control. In late February, Envision AESC announced it had obtained the first certification in China for compliance with the mandatory national safety standard for lithium batteries in energy storage. Its products have been deployed in over 60 countries and regions, powering more than one million electric vehicles and over 40 GWh of energy storage systems, maintaining a record of zero major accidents to date.

CATL has reported that the single-cell failure rate of its Tianheng energy storage system has reached levels of PPB (parts per billion). Zeng Yuqun pointed out that while many believe energy storage batteries are easy to produce, they are actually quite challenging. A 1GWh energy storage project requires approximately 1.5 million cells; consistency, safety, and energy degradation are critical factors. The complexity of producing 1.5 million cells, along with other components, is comparable to the number of parts in large aircraft. A PPM (parts per million) failure rate could lead to numerous faults, and even a PPB level may not be sufficient. “The safety of large-scale energy storage is crucial, especially in the context of the enormous energy demands driven by AI advancements.”

Safety has always been the “lifeline” of energy storage and the cornerstone of industry development. The energy storage sector is currently undergoing an unprecedented “great change,” with various battery manufacturers focusing on material innovation, system design, manufacturing processes, and smart manufacturing to establish their safety frameworks. The forthcoming implementation of the mandatory national standard GB 44240-2024 will further reshape the competitive landscape of the industry, granting companies with innovative R&D and high safety performance in production a significant competitive advantage.