How safe is the giant lithium battery at Terra Ceia solar farm? | Eastern NC Now

 

The Wilkinson Solar farm project at Terra Ceia includes a giant lithium battery to store some of the electricity produced. The question is how safe is this for nearby residents and indeed the school at Terra Ceia?

 

Lithium is highly combustable, hard to extinguish when it burns, and can be highly toxic. These giant lithium batteries used in connection with wind and solar power in other countries have suffered spontaneous combustion.  Lithium burns very hot and cannot be extinguished by dousing it with water or smothering it with sand.  Generally, the fire has to be allowed to burn itself out.

 

In small quantities, lithium can be therapeutic for certain medical conditions, but beyond those small quantities it is highly toxic, leading to serious medical conditions and death. Smoke from a significant lithium fire can be extremely harmful to those who breathe it.

One wonders if fire departments that might be called to answer a potential lithium battery fire are trained to handle it and to be sure people living, working, or in school nearby are kept safe.

 

Shouldn't our county solar ordinance and its never adopted wind ordinance put some very strict limitation on where these batteries can be placed?