Recently, the General Department of the National Energy Administration, the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the General Office of the Ministry of Emergency Management, the General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Office of the National Fire and Rescue Administration jointly issued the Notice on Strengthening the Safety Management of Electrochemical Energy Storage (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"). This measure is like a needle in the sea, anchoring the safe development direction of the electrochemical energy storage industry, opening the first year of safety for 25.2GW electrochemical energy storage, demonstrating the country's attention and determination to energy storage safety.
Ⅰ The development of the industry: the hidden worries under the outbreak of scale
In recent years, the electrochemical energy storage industry has been making great progress. According to authoritative data from the Zhongguancun Energy Storage Industry Technology Alliance (CNESA), by the end of 2024, the cumulative installed capacity of electrochemical energy storage in China will reach 25.2GW, with an annual growth rate of more than 80%. From large-scale energy storage power stations on the grid side to ensure the stable operation of the power grid, to distributed energy storage systems on the user side to help energy management, the application scenarios continue to expand, and the market potential is about to emerge. However, the rapid expansion of scale also brings a number of safety risks. In 2021, the fire and explosion accident of Beijing Dahongmen Energy Storage Power Station caused huge property losses and social impacts, sounding the alarm for the industry. Behind the accident, problems such as thermal runaway of the energy storage system, fire protection design defects, and imperfect safety management system were exposed, which triggered a deep reflection on safety development in the industry.
Ⅱ Policy interpretation: precise implementation of policies to build a safety line of defense
The "Notice" focuses on the whole chain of electrochemical energy storage and proposes targeted measures. In terms of battery system safety, the industry and information technology departments are required to speed up the safety research of battery ontology. At present, the energy density of lithium batteries is increasing, but the risk of thermal runaway cannot be ignored, and new technology routes such as solid-state batteries need to be broken through urgently. Standardizing the design and manufacturing of battery systems and ensuring battery quality from the source is the key to consolidating the foundation of safety. The departments for market regulation are to strengthen supervision of production and sales, crack down on inferior products, maintain market order, and promote the establishment of a credit system, so that the trustworthy benefit and the untrustworthy are restricted.
In view of the demonstration of project safety conditions, the "Notice" requires the project unit to strengthen safety management, and conduct comprehensive analysis, inspection and post-evaluation after a certain period of time after the feasibility study, completion or trial operation, and commissioning. This provision runs through the whole life cycle of the project, for example, in the feasibility study stage, a large-scale energy storage project is located in an area with complex geological conditions, and the seismic risk is found through comprehensive analysis, and the plan is adjusted in time to avoid major safety hazards in the later stage. Improving relevant standards and specifications is one of the core of the policy, and the market supervision and management, energy and other departments promote the formulation and revision of standards for the design, construction, and acceptance of power stations, make up for the lack of standards and lag problems, and ensure that enterprises have rules to follow.
In terms of the implementation of safety supervision responsibilities, the "Notice" clarifies the principles of "three pipes and three musts", and all electrochemical energy storage power station projects are filed in accordance with laws and regulations, which not only clarifies the main responsibility of the project unit, but also strengthens the responsibilities of the regulatory department to eliminate responsibility shirking. The establishment of departmental linkage and information sharing mechanism breaks down departmental barriers, and departments such as energy and emergency management work together to conduct joint investigations, inspections, and share data and information, so as to realize fire alarm information notification and joint disposal, and improve emergency response efficiency.
Figure: Five departments jointly launched the first year of 25.2GW electrochemical energy storage security
Ⅲ Industry influence: survival of the fittest promotes healthy development
The views of experts are generally positive. Professor Wang, a senior expert in the energy storage industry, said: "The implementation of the Notice will standardize the energy storage industry, improve system safety and reliability, enhance investment confidence, and promote the large-scale application of technology. The person in charge of an energy storage company also believes that "although the project approval process and cost will be increased in the short term, in the long run, it will avoid safety problems leading to project stagnation and ensure the stable operation of the enterprise." "The industry will usher in the survival of the fittest, backward technology, poor management of enterprises will be eliminated, resources to the advantage of enterprises, improve the overall safety level of the industry and technical competitiveness.
Ⅳ the international perspective: compare and learn from the direction of improvement
The stones of other mountains can be used to attack jade. Japan has formulated strict standards for the installation, acceptance, operation and maintenance of energy storage systems, especially in the fire prevention and explosion-proof aspects of lithium batteries, which require energy storage systems to be equipped with complete fire monitoring, early warning and fire extinguishing devices, and regular inspection and maintenance. The United States has clarified responsibilities through laws and regulations, encouraged enterprises to develop and innovate, and provided safety insurance support. China can learn from Japan's strict standards and the United States' innovation incentive mechanism to optimize the safety management system in combination with national conditions.
Ⅴ Data support: use examples to prove the effectiveness of security
Taking a 100MW/200MWh energy storage power station on the grid side as an example, before the issuance of the Notice, the power station had many battery overcharge and overdischarge faults due to the imperfect battery management system, which affected the life and safety. After the implementation of the policy, the company increased investment, upgraded the battery management system, standardized the operation and maintenance process, the failure rate was greatly reduced, and the system availability was increased to more than 98%. Another user-side industrial and commercial energy storage project effectively reduces the risk of fire, ensures the production safety of the enterprise, and shortens the return on investment cycle by 6 months through the "three simultaneous" construction of safety facilities and the main project.
Ⅵ Looking forward to the future: safety leads the new journey of energy storage
The joint action of the five departments to open the first year of safety for 25.2GW of electrochemical energy storage is a milestone in the development of the industry. In the future, with the in-depth implementation of policies, the energy storage industry will continue to innovate and upgrade under the security guarantee. Enterprises need to keep up with policies and increase investment in safety technology research and development, such as developing more efficient thermal management systems and safety monitoring and early warning systems. The government should continue to improve standards, strengthen supervision, promote the promotion and application of energy storage safety technology, help China's energy storage industry to achieve steady and long-term development in the global market, and provide solid support for energy transformation and the realization of the "dual carbon" goal.
Under the wave of energy transition, the safe development of electrochemical energy storage is an inevitable requirement. The policies of the five departments are like a lighthouse, illuminating the way forward for the industry, and let us look forward to the energy storage industry to create more brilliance under the safe escort.
