Energy Storage Growth Demands Higher Safety Standards
The global expansion of renewable energy has driven rapid growth in battery storage, with the industry surging at an annual rate of 30%. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that by 2030, the energy storage market will exceed $500 billion, with over 65% of that stemming from battery energy storage system (BESS) applications.
However, this acceleration has been accompanied by high-profile safety incidents. The January fire at the Moss Landing BESS facility in the U.S. led to a $400 million asset write-down, while a 300MW/600MWh project failure in Essex, UK, caused a regional grid collapse. Such events underscore the urgent need for robust safety measures in large-scale BESS deployments.
Full-Scale Burn Tests: A Critical Safety Benchmark
Traditional laboratory tests fail to replicate real-world conditions, overlooking factors like thermal runaway propagation, multi-module interactions, and material resilience under extreme conditions. Sungrow’s energy storage safety laboratory highlights that live fire testing can truly assess system performance across thermal containment and explosion venting.
Regulatory bodies in the EU, U.S., and China are increasingly recommending or mandating full-scale burn verification for battery systems, making burn test a key certification criterion.
Sungrow’s $4.2 Million Investment in Extreme Burn Test
As a global leader in energy storage shipments, Sungrow conducted two large-scale burn tests in June and October 2024, investing over CNY 30 million ($4.2 million) in large-scale simulations. These tests, unprecedented in industry history, were designed in accordance with DNV and FRA fire safety standards, using four PowerTitan 1.0/2.0 BESS units to replicate real-world power plant conditions.
Record-breaking performance from the burn tests included:
- Extended Burn Duration: The tests lasted 3–6 times longer than industry norms, with PowerTitan 2.0 enduring 25 hours and 43 minutes of high-intensity fire while maintaining structural integrity.
- Thermal Containment in Close Proximity: Storage cabinets were placed just 15cm apart under full charge. Even as one cabinet internal reached 1,385°C, exceeding the melting point of steel, the adjacent unit’s battery cells remained at just 40°C, proving the system’s superior heat insulation.
- Fire Resistance Without Active Suppression: The test was conducted without fire suppression systems, relying solely on cabinet design. Despite no external protection, all cabinet doors remained intact, effectively controlling the fire’s spread.
- Third-Party Supervision and Global Transparency: The test was monitored by DNV, live streamed globally, and witnessed by over 100 industry professionals, including fire safety regulators, global energy service providers, and energy storage customers.
DNV officials remarked, “This was an exceptionally successful burn test. Even under extremely high energy density conditions, PowerTitan 2.0 was able to burn safely. The BMS report indicated that the state of charge for all batteries remained between 99% and 100%, confirming that they sustained no damage whatsoever during this large-scale burn test.”
Safety as a Value Driver in the Energy Storage Market
Sungrow’s rigorous burn test not only validates its PowerTitan 2.0 system but also ensures compliance with international safety standards like UL 9540 and NFPA 855. These certifications facilitate market entry, lower insurance costs, and increase investor confidence by demonstrating risk mitigation measures.
As the global energy storage sector scales towards TWh era, Sungrow’s commitment to safety sends a clear message: fire resilience is not a cost burden, but a value proposition. A European grid operator watching the test remarked, “After seeing a cabinet survive 25 hours of fire, I now understand why Sungrow’s systems are trusted worldwide.”
This $4.2 million inferno not only highlights Sungrow’s industry leadership but also fuels broader confidence in the future of global energy transition.
