Questions are still awaiting answers as Arizona Public Service Co. investigates the cause of an explosion April 19 in a 2-MW/2-MWh grid-connected energy-storage battery facility in Surprise, Ariz. The incident sent eight firefighters and a police officer to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, but APS has revealed few of its investigation’s findings despite promising in a June 5 statement that “periodic updates will be posted to report on the process and progress being made.”
The explosion of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery bank drew new attention to the flammable battery technology, which has caused spontaneous fires in Boeing airliners and Samsung smart phones in recent years.