Floo­dings and water damage: BVES’s recom­men­da­ti­ons for hand­ling elec­tri­cal sto­rage units

Gui­de­lines for hand­ling power sto­rage units in the event of water damage

Bat­tery sto­rage sys­tems that are manu­fac­tu­red and instal­led in accordance with appli­ca­ble norms and stan­dards are gene­rally safe. Howe­ver, water damage or floo­ding can lead to hazards. The­r­e­fore, con­sider the fol­lo­wing ins­truc­tions to avoid and pre­vent health, pro­perty, and envi­ron­men­tal damage:

• Do not enter the instal­la­tion room or con­nec­ted rooms that are still under water! Avoid tou­ch­ing any elec­tri­cally con­duc­tive parts asso­cia­ted with it (e.g., stair rai­lings)! Even if public power sup­ply has not yet been res­to­red, elec­tri­cal energy may still be pre­sent from a PV sys­tem or the bat­tery sys­te­m’s emer­gency power sup­ply. Water and con­ta­mi­na­tion can cause short cir­cuits in bat­te­ries and inver­ters, which could lead to a strong build-up of heat and, if touched, to elec­tric shocks or burns.
• Ensure ade­quate ven­ti­la­tion of the instal­la­tion area, if it can be done safely (e.g., by ope­ning a win­dow from the out­side), and avoid pos­si­ble igni­tion sources (e.g., sparks)! Floo­ded bat­te­ries and other elec­tri­cal energy devices can unin­ten­tio­nally pro­duce flamma­ble gases that may accu­mu­late wit­hout ven­ti­la­tion.
• If you suspect smoke inha­la­tion, seek medi­cal help imme­dia­tely! Harmful gases may be released in the event of fire damage
• Inform emer­gency per­son­nel imme­dia­tely about the pre­sence of a bat­tery sto­rage sys­tem! Many emer­gency respon­ders (e.g., police, fire bri­gade, mili­tary, THW) are trai­ned or infor­med on how to handle bat­tery sto­rage sys­tems, inclu­ding lithium-ion bat­te­ries. They are pre­pared for the asso­cia­ted hazards and can con­sult with the manu­fac­tu­rer if neces­sary.
• Pre­vent the bat­tery sto­rage sys­tem from being put back into ope­ra­tion! Bat­tery sto­rage sys­tems that have come into cont­act with water or mud should not be reac­ti­va­ted, even if they appear unda­ma­ged extern­ally. An unin­ten­ded reac­ti­va­tion could occur, for exam­ple, when the public power sup­ply is res­to­red. The sys­tem must be decom­mis­sio­ned by an elec­tri­cal spe­cia­list fami­liar with PV sys­tems and bat­tery sto­rage. Bat­te­ries and inver­ters that have been infil­tra­ted by water or mud must be repla­ced.
• Fol­low the ins­truc­tions for the dis­mant­ling, sto­rage, and trans­port of the bat­tery sto­rage sys­tem! Dis­mant­ling must be car­ried out by trai­ned hel­pers or elec­tri­cal spe­cia­lists. Impro­per hand­ling, trans­port, and sto­rage can lead to risks (e.g., fire). Dama­ged lithium-ion bat­tery sto­rage sys­tems must be trans­por­ted only by qua­li­fied ser­vice pro­vi­ders in com­pli­ance with rele­vant spe­cial regu­la­ti­ons.
• Imme­dia­tely inform the aid or cle­arance per­son­nel if you notice bat­tery sto­rage sys­tems in your sur­roun­dings (e.g., in debris piles). For tem­po­rary sto­rage until coll­ec­tion, sui­ta­ble places include:
  • Fire­proof, non-gas-tight con­tai­ners
  • Sto­rage in a sand bed
  • Water bath (e.g., a metal tub) where the bat­te­ries are com­ple­tely sub­mer­ged.