BYD wins UK Chickerell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project with a total scale of 400MW/2.4GWh!
On July 29th, Members of Parliament in Dorset (UK) approved one of the world's largest BESS projects by flexible energy infrastructure developer Statera Energy. The total project size is 400MW/2.4GWh, with a duration of up to six hours.
Founded in 2015, Statera Energy is a UK-based energy company that develops, owns and operates flexible power generation, battery storage, pumped storage and green hydrogen projects. According to the company's website, Statera Energy has delivered 600MW of battery storage and 420MW of flexible generation projects.
The Chickerell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) site is located close to an existing UK National Grid substation, and according to the plan, the storage facility will cover 30 hectares, of which about 21 hectares will be turned into a community park. The project also envisages the planting of trees and hedgerows to preserve the natural beauty of the selected area.
I. The safety of the project had been controversial
In March 2024, an application for a 60 MW battery power station 100 meters east of the Statera site was refused due to fire risk and location.
However, neither the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service nor the Environment Agency objected to the plans.
Supporters of the project have stated that it is necessary as it helps integrate renewable energy and contributes to the UK's decarbonization efforts, and that urban development has a more serious impact on the local environment.
To alleviate concerns, in addition to meeting all relevant planning requirements, Statera worked closely with the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that all necessary safety standards were met and a fire liaison framework was created as part of the planning process. Through an iterative design process, Statera added several additional measures to the design of the proposed facility to improve safety, including a cooling system to ensure that the batteries remain within a safe temperature range, and an automatically triggered fire suppression system.
Statera's proposal includes four large water containers to help in the event of any fires. "Each cell will be self-contained, with its own independent monitoring and fire suppression measures, and remote shutdown will be enabled."
II. BYD Recognized
Statera has not yet publicly stated which BESS or system integrator it plans to use. However, Visual Knowledge Industrial Research Institute has exclusively checked the project's planning document, which reveals that it has chosen BYD as the battery manufacturer.
The BYD MC Cube energy storage system consists of 10 MC Cube units, five on each side, each consisting of 416 lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells.
The thermal management and fire suppression systems of the BYD MC Cube Energy Storage System (ESS), as mentioned in the paper, are key components to ensure the safe operation of the battery storage system.
In terms of thermal management, BYD has done the following:
1. Cooling System: The battery storage unit is equipped with a cooling system to keep the battery temperature within a safe range. This helps prevent the battery from overheating, a common cause of thermal runaway.
2. Temperature Control: The system includes control of the battery charging process to ensure that charging automatically stops when a specific temperature threshold is reached, thus avoiding overheating.
Heat Detection: Each battery container is equipped with a temperature detector to monitor the temperature status of the battery in real time.
Thermal isolation: The design of the battery container takes into account thermal isolation to minimize the risk of heat transfer from one battery cell to another.
In terms of fire suppression systems (Fire Suppression Systems), BYD is equipped with:
1. Pulse Aerosol System: As one of the fire suppression measures, the Battery Storage Cells are equipped with a pulse aerosol system, which can be activated automatically when heat and smoke are detected, releasing extinguishing agents to control or extinguish the fire.
Flame and Smoke Detectors: Each MC Cube unit is equipped with flame and smoke detectors that are capable of sounding an alarm in the early stages of a fire.
3. Fire Alarm and Indicator Lights: Each MC Cube ESS is equipped with an audible fire alarm and visual fire flashers to alert site personnel and remote monitoring systems.
4. System Shutdown: In the event of a fire, the MC Cube ES can be shut down remotely or on-site to electrically isolate the battery cells and stop the battery charging and discharging process.
5. Firefighting Tanks: Firefighting tanks are arranged in the site to ensure that there is enough water to extinguish the fire in the event of a fire.
6. Fire lanes and return yard: The site design includes fire lanes and return yards to ensure that firefighting vehicles can quickly reach the fire scene.
7. Emergency Response Plan: A detailed emergency response plan has been developed to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a fire.
8. Liaison with Fire Services: A liaison mechanism with the local fire and rescue services has been established to ensure that timely support can be obtained in case of emergency.
9. Safety manuals and operating instructions: Detailed safety manuals and operating instructions are provided to guide operators on how to use the fire suppression system and take the correct action in the event of a fire.
Statera also provided the results of UL9540A test, which is the test recommended by the NFCC (National Fire Chiefs Council) guidance to assess the fire safety risk of propagating thermal runaway in battery systems. The test results show that in the case of thermal runaway, the fire does not spread between defined enclosures.
According to the NFCC guidance, it is recommended that a source of firefighting water be located in the vicinity of the BESS vessel (at least 10 meters) and be capable of supplying a volume of not less than 1,900 liters per minute for at least two consecutive hours. Due to the inadequacy of the existing firefighting water source, Statera proposes to place four firefighting water tanks within the site with a total capacity of 232,000 liters in addition.
The proposed spacing of the BESS containers is 3 meters, which is below the minimum standard of 6 meters recommended in the NFCC guidance. However, through Computational Fire Dynamics (CFD) modeling and UL9540A test results, Statera justified the 3-meter spacing and demonstrated that the spacing of the BESS containers was adequate through an evidence-based approach.
