>> Safety lessons in building design
>> In the field of building design, we will retain two safety lessons.
>> First of all, the requirements applicable to battery charging rooms, when they are located inside a building, require a sufficient degree of fire resistance to prevent its propagation to the rest of the building. The existing regulations already seem complete to us, and the OHV accident does not call their technical relevance into question.
>> However, two configurations, in the current state of the regulations, deserve particular attention:
>> - When the batteries used are not likely to generate hydrogen during charging (if lead batteries are now mainly used in energy storage in data centers, lithium technology offers one more alternative more competitive which tends to develop);
>> - Or when these load rooms are located outside.
>> On the first point, the BEA-RI considers that the prescription relating to the constructive provisions should also concern the other battery technologies for which electrical failure and thermal runaway cannot be physically ruled out. This type of failure can lead to major fires and justify specific construction measures.
>> On the second point (outdoor charging rooms), the BEA-RI recalls the recommendations issued in its report MTE-BEARI-2021-004 on the battery container fire in Perles and Castelet (09)
>> Finally, the report points out that protecting the battery room is not sufficient, given the outbreak of fire at the level of the inverter: