Tesla mega-package operating in Australia caught fire. Fire during testing of a new installation

"Tesla Big Battery" is one of the largest energy storage devices in the world, based on Tesla Megapacks. It has been operating in Australia since December 2017 and has been systematically expanding since then. The fire broke out in the part that was supposed to complete the already existing installation.

3 (+3?) MWh of lithium-ion cells on fire

The fire at Hornsdale Power Reserve - because that's the official name of "Tesla Big Battery" - was reported yesterday on 7News in Melbourne. The photographs show one of the cell cabinets on fire, a container with a total weight of 13 tons that can hold up to 3 MWh (3 kWh) of cells. Firefighters fought to keep the fire from spreading to nearby cabinets:

SIMPLE Q: Firefighters are currently at the site of a battery fire in Murabula, near Geelong. Firefighters are working to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to nearby batteries. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 # 7NEWS pic.twitter.com/HAkFY27JgQ

- 7NEWS Melbourne (@ 7NewsMelbourne) July 30, 2021

The mega-package, which was part of a new installation that was supposed to increase the capacity of Tesla's "big battery" to 450 MWh and allow it to supply up to 300 MW of power to the grid, was ignited. Everything was supposed to be operational in November 2021. The fire occurred during tests that began the day before, even before the storage facilities were connected to the grid, so the power supply was not threatened, according to 7News Melbourne.

According to other media reports, on July 30, Megapack burned continuously for almost 24 hours (that is, since the start of testing?) - and it is not clear if it is already extinguished today. The fire had reportedly spread to a second adjacent closet, but most of the flammables were about to burn out. The firemen did not extinguish the batteries directly, but used the water to cool the environment.

Victoria's big battery project ran into an obstacle. One of the massive Tesla battery packs on the Moorabool website caught fire. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 # 7NEWS pic.twitter.com/8obtcP61X1

- 7NEWS Melbourne (@ 7NewsMelbourne) July 30, 2021

Lithium-ion cells can ignite if overcharged, overheated, or physically damaged. For this reason, under normal conditions (laptops, batteries, electric vehicles), their operating parameters are electronically monitored. In energy storage facilities where available space is not a limitation, you go towards lithium-ion cells with lithium-iron-phosphate cathodes (LFP, lower energy density, but higher safety) or vanadium flow cells.

It is worth adding here that the former require about 1,5–2 times, and the latter almost ten times more space to store the same amount of energy.

All photos: (c) 7News Melbourne

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