To get a clear overall picture on the topic of battery safety IBESA interviewed experts in the field of cell and battery manufacturing, as well as electrochemists and cell specialists on their opinion and strategic recommendation on energy storage safety. They all seem to agree that entirely safe or non-flammable li-ion cells do not exist. However, it is necessary to ensure the highest level of safety possible.
"There are really some well-developed systems with great safety and performance features on the market", says Thomas Timke, expert at Project Competence E for lithium-ion storage systems at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). But Timke also underlines that unsafe systems are often a result of choosing inadequate cells. This argument is backed by Andreas Thissen, Managing Director of AX Power Solutions, who also emphasizes the paramount importance of the cell for the whole system.
According to Dr. Jörg Kaiser, head of lithium-ion cell development at KIT's Project Competence E, safety of lithium-ion cells needs to be assessed on multiple levels. In his opinion manufacturers sometimes overstate single or individual safety aspects for marketing purposes creating the impression of an overall safe system.
For Bernhard Böden, Managing Partner of Power Innovation Stromversorgungstechnik, the safety of a battery system depends on the precise balancing of the battery management system (BMS) and the cell. A close cooperation of BMS developers and cell specialists at the manufacturer side is absolutely necessary.
For IBESA and interviewed experts it is clear: Cell security starts at the very beginning, in the factory; an absolute security does not exist. As there are no special "service rooms" for electrical storage systems in private households, it is even more important to guarantee a maximum level of safety and product quality, e.g. by means of a responsible management throughout the entire process: from the production, to delivery up to the installation. The complete interview can be found here.
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