System integration issues dominate BESS manufacturing defects in 2024, CEA reveals
System-level integration problems now represent 72% of battery energy storage manufacturing defects, up from 48% in previous years, according to Clean Energy Associates’ latest quality assessment covering 2024 factory audits.
The analysis, based on 680 inspections across more than 70 BESS manufacturing facilities representing over 65 GWh of lithium-ion storage projects, reveals growing challenges in the integration phase as the industry scales rapidly. CEA reports this is 64% of Tier 1 BESS cell manufacturers worldwide.
Fire suppression systems emerged as the most problematic area, with defects identified in 28% of inspected units. These issues ranged from non-responsive smoke and temperature sensors to malfunctioning fire alarm abort buttons and release actuators that failed to deploy extinguishing agents when commanded.
Auxiliary circuit panels displayed faults in 19% of inspected systems. The report attributes many system-level problems to the highly manual and labor-intensive nature of BESS integration processes, often carried out by third parties with limited long-term performance incentives.
Thermal management systems showed defects in 15% of units, primarily involving coolant circulation failures from deformed flange plates, loose pipe connections, and defective valves. These issues can lead to coolant leakage, potentially triggering internal short circuits and thermal runaway events.
Overall quantities of defects were not shared by CEA, only percentages of failures.
CEA also highlighted that 6% of systems failed capacity tests via performance failures, directly impacting energy delivery and project performance.
At the component level, cell manufacturing accounted for 15% of total findings despite higher automation levels, while module manufacturing represented 13% of findings. Balance of system components accounted for 64% of system-level findings, with enclosure-related issues representing 30%.
The analysis covered facilities in the United States, China, India, Vietnam, and South Korea Clean Energy Associates noted that none of the audited systems were shipped with unresolved safety-critical issues, following their protocol requiring manufacturers to address critical and major defects before shipment.
The concentration of problems at the integration stage indicates where additional attention and standardization efforts may yield the greatest quality improvements as BESS deployment accelerates globally.
Popular Posts
