The plant now has a lithium battery energy storage area, and that’s what’s on fire. Everyone nearby is advised to evacuate because of toxic smoke from the fire.
That place is right next door to Elkhorn Slough, which is a sea otter gathering place. I hope the smoke doesn’t settle in the slough and poison the otters.
Shit. Used to drive by there all the time. It is indeed huge. Elkhorn Slough has undergone much watershed restoration and is home not just to otters but millions of other creatures. California has destroyed almost all its coastal wetlands and this was one of the few remaining.
With the increasing reports (https://www.mass.gov/news/4-alarm-onset-fire-most-likely-started-with-lithium-ion-batteries) of fires from lithium batteries I wonder if this is a technology we should consider phasing out, assuming we can find something less dangerous to replace it with. Or am I exaggerating the problem?
I don’t think you are exaggerating, as the risk of mishandling is widespread. You cannot put a lithium battery device in checked luggage on an airplane, for example, due to mishaps and it being a known risk, especially with a plethora of cheaply-made imported devices of questionable quality.
However, I think the technology is young yet, and safety is likely to get better, so I would not put lithium batteries as a energy storage solution out to pasture just yet. Gasoline vapors are highly flamable, yet millions of people handle it every day without issue because the technology for using it is mature. Until something better comes along, we should keep using it.
But yeah, this incident is alarming, especially with a couple of prior fires in the last few years at this same facility.
I remember reading something about a Tesla bursting into flames a few weeks ago. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Do they use lithium batteries for their cars? Never mind, I just googled it and of course Tesla uses lithium batteries. Each car is made up of thousands of lithium cells. What could possibly go wrong?
I think it’s probably generally true that any energy-storage medium is prone to becoming energetic in an undesired way. Batteries that are chemically inert, are not useful as batteries.
If anything, we’re on the search for higher energy-density than can be attained with Lithium batteries - especially for applications where the battery has to move around - we want the maximum amount of energy in the smallest and lightest package. That usually means it will have a propensity for going boom if it is damaged.
Another worry about the toxic smoke is if it will settle on the millions of acres of crops surrounding that plant. There are endless fields of brussels sprouts, artichokes, strawberries and lettuce in that area, extending in all directions.
This is not a Tesla issue. Every EV uses lithium batteries. There is no other practical solution at this point, although that may change in the future as research on new technologies continues.
I only mentioned Tesla because the car that was burning happened to be a Tesla. Yes, it could happen to any EV, which makes the problem even more widespread. BTW, I thought undamaged lithium batteries could sometimes cause a fire. Is that not the case?
I am surprised that they didn’t see this coming and work very hard to mitigate/stop this from happening.
Maybe they did, I do not know. I’d like to think we could prevent one power plant from catching on fire if we devoted enough resources to it (resources that currently exist).
Generically, yes, working very hard to prevent lithium battery fires is important, but why should they have seen this coming?
They can. Some powerbanks have overheated in a purse while connected to a smart phone and caught fire.
There was a situation a couple months ago where a Tesla electric semi ran off I-80 above Auburn and crashed into a tree, catching on fire. The responding fire crews could only watch until it burned out, only able to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby forest. The freeway was shut down for, like, 10 hours. But that was a damaged battery array, of course. This Moss Landing incident is much worse, and they just have to let it burn itself out.
I assumed it was due to the fires in CA and they’d see it approaching.
My mistake.
Actually, you can. the FAA only says that you shouldn’t:
Devices containing lithium metal or lithium ion batteries (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.) should be carried in carry-on baggage. Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin. Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning. When portable electronic devices powered by lithium batteries are in checked baggage, they must be completely powered off and protected to prevent unintentional activation or damage.
They do explicitly prohibit spare/uninstalled lithium batteries in checked baggage. When I fly, I might carry a tablet computer or laptop in a carry-on bag, but my cordless shaver and cordless toothbrush (both of which feature permanently installed lithium batteries) are in a checked bag.
Just like spontaneously “burst into flame”? World you happen to have a cite? Do gasoline cars ever catch on fire?
I think it may have been this BBC article I happened across while looking for something else.
It is very unusual, but it happens. While charging, as in this instance:
https://newsbeezer.com/romaniaeng/a-tesla-model-3-burned-like-a-torch-while-charging-with-video/
ICE cars burst into flames more often, but those flames are easier to put out and the smoke slightly less toxic.
So a Mercedes, not a Tesla. The article says that in that area in the previous year there were 274 ICE car fires and 3 that were EV or hybrid.
I’ve surfed Jetty Beach there so I checked the surf report to check out the wind speed and direction. Luckily, there is little or no wind right now and it only picks up to about 4mph around noon. It’s coming from the south so the crops around Castoville and Salinas are safe as is most of the estuary. Watsonville is directly downwind, though.