Boom, boom, boom... 💥
Wall Street Journal (6/25/24) reports: "To the makers of smartphones, power grids and electric vehicles, lithium—the lightest metal—allows batteries to become supercharged, underpinning hopes for a greener economy and longer-lasting devices. But the very traits that make lithium game-changing for energy storage can pose overpowering challenges should the batteries ever catch fire. Incidents involving lithium-battery fires are becoming more common around the world, raising safety concerns. Water isn’t always an effective combatant for certain types of lithium-battery fires, leaving little option other than waiting things out or using costly suppressants, firefighting experts say. Combating fires involving lithium-batteries can be difficult due to the emission of toxic gases...The world saw the risks of lithium-battery fires on Monday in South Korea, where at least 23 workers died in one of the country’s worst industrial accidents in recent memory...For instance, extinguishing a lithium-ion battery fire for an EV takes longer and about three times as much water than a regular vehicle, on top of the exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, said Greg McConville, the national secretary of the United Firefighters Union of Australia. The fire’s ignition is more intense than an oxy-acetylene torch, which can be roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more, or about five times hotter than many house fires."
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"In the U.S., there are a number of state-level climate-related lawsuits that remain in process...usually involving seeking liability judgments against energy companies. These are simple shakedown and harassment lawsuits, but keep your eye on them. The climate bar has visions of a tobacco-like settlement that will line their pockets, raise energy prices for consumers, and do very little for the climate."
– Steven F. Hayward,
Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley
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