The installation and usage of ESS in North America should comply with local laws and regulations from American fire department. The requirements cover aspects of design, test, certification, fire fight, environment protection and so on. As a critical component of ESS, lithium-ion battery system should comply with following standards.
Standard | Title | Introduction |
UL 9540 | Energy Storage Systems and Equipment | Evaluate the compatibility and safety of different components (like power converter, battery system, etc.) |
UL 9540A | Standard for Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems | This is the requirement for thermal runaway and propagation. It aims to prevent ESS causing fire hazard. |
UL 1973 | Batteries for Use in Stationary and Motive Auxiliary Power Applications | Regulates battery systems and cells for stationary appliances (like photovoltaic, wind turbine storage and UPS), LER and stationary railway appliance (like railway transformer). |
Standard | Cell | Module | Unit (rack) | Energy storage system |
UL 9540A | 10pcs | 2pcs | Check before project start | — |
UL 1973 | 14pcs or 20pcs | — | Check before project start | — |
UL 9540 | — | — | — | Check before project start |
Standard | Cell | Module | Unit (Rack) | ESS |
UL 9540A | 2 to 3 months | 2 to 3 months | 2 to 3 months | — |
UL 1973 | 3 to 4 weeks | — | 2 to 3 months | — |
UL 9540 | — | — | — | 2 to 3 months |
A: NFPA 855 & UL 9540.
A: In 2014, the United States Underwriters Laboratory (UL) released the world's first safety standard for stationary energy storage, UL9540, which was developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to develop fire safety or deploy energy storage standards for the construction industry.
A: Batteries, modules, unit cabinets, containers and other levels for energy storage purposes
A:Batteries and components for lightweight electric tracks (LER) or fixtures;
Stationary and/or transport batteries and spare parts;
Stationary energy storage batteries, such as batteries in photovoltaic power stations, wind power stations, UPS, household energy storage and other application scenarios;
Batteries for auxiliary power supply of vehicles (excluding power batteries);
Includes a wide range of batteries, ultracapacitors, battery and electrochemical capacitor hybrid systems with unlimited chemicals, such as beta sodium batteries and fluid batteries.
A: The report of UL9540A will need to be submitted to the local AHJ in the United States for judgment and reference. Because the United States is a federal country, each state or region has jurisdiction over agencies such as fire departments, insurance companies, property owners, and others.
