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Fire chief warns battery 'thermal runaway' can be unstoppable; Cleantech survey finds majority support for batteries
Summary
San Diego Fire‑Rescue battalion chief described lithium‑ion failure modes and the difficulty of extinguishing thermal runaway, while CleanTech San Diego presented a county survey showing majority support for residential and commercial battery storage despite high‑profile incidents.
San Diego Community Power's board heard an informational update on Nov. 13 about battery energy storage systems that combined a technical briefing from a regional fire response coordinator with results from a public‑opinion survey.
Battalion Chief Robert Rezende (San Diego Fire‑Rescue) delivered a technical 'Battery 101,' describing common lithium‑ion battery formats, three primary failure modes (mechanical, electrical and thermal), and the phenomenon of thermal runaway — a chemical chain reaction he said cannot be stopped once it begins. Rezende described the gases produced during a…
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