Balcony battery storage system catches fire in German home

A local volunteer fire department has reported a battery energy storage unit sparked a fire in a family home in Neuenhaus, Lower Saxony. The exact cause of the fire, is not known, the fire department said.

A neighbor noticed smoke, in the March 25 incident, and alerted emergency services who brought the fire under control within two hours.

The residential property was empty at the time of the blaze.

The owner of the battery system, Thiemo Niers, told pv magazine the energy storage unit that caught fire was a 2.4 kWh Zendure AIO-2400. The Californian manufacturer states it uses LFP cells in the product.

Global reports of battery fires have typically concerned batteries with nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes and LFP devices are widely regarded as more fire-resistant. An LFP battery did explode and cause a residential building to collapse in Germany in October 2023, however.

Niers said he bought the battery as part of a package with a 1.78 kW photovoltaic balcony system and only activated it two weeks ago.

The fire damaged the home’s heating and hot water system and caused extensive damage to the utility room where the battery was installed. The balcony PV and battery were in an annex and the rest of the house is habitable but the load-bearing capacity of the annex’s roof needs to be checked.

An investigation needs to establish the cause of the fire and the family is temporarily living in a vacation property.

Niers said he considers the incident to be a case of bad luck and intends to buy another energy storage unit to contribute to the energy transition. He said he is hoping for a quick resolution to the damage caused, either with his insurance company or the battery manufacturer.

A statement from Zendure, given to pv magazine reads, “At Zendure, product safety and the trust of our customers are our highest priority. We therefore take this matter very seriously and are devoting our full attention to it. We are aware of the incident and have already initiated an internal investigation to determine the cause of the fire and ensure the safety of our products. Please be assured that Zendure is handling this incident transparently and responsibly. We will, of course, keep you updated on the status of our investigations and are available at any time for any questions or further clarifications.”

From pv magazine Deutschland.