Many changes and innovations are on the horizon in the area of battery energy storage system (BESS) safety. While a new version of the internationally trendsetting NFPA 855 is currently being developed in the USA, the first requirements of the so-called EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 had to have been met since February 2024, although the closing of the gap in standardization work with at least 5 new standardization projects has only just begun.
FOGTEC is currently contributing to the development of integrated safety concepts by actively participating in the revision of the BVES (Bundesverband Energie Speicher Systeme e.V.) safety guidelines and in the development of a European test standard for fire-fighting systems in BESS.
The aim is also to communicate in Germany and Europe the view already established in the USA that protection against deflagration should take precedence over fire protection. In order to achieve this, all safety components such as the detection of venting gases and fires, active and passive explosion protection measures and fire-fighting systems must be coordinated. This is the only way to avoid unfavorable interaction such as the escape of extinguishing agents via pressure relief panels or during the extraction of flammable gases.
