Overheating fire hazards relating to Eguana Technologies’ residential energy storage system has forced the manufacturer to recall around 245 of its lithium-ion powered systems.
The recall on 26 January involves the Canadian-headquartered firm’s Evolve 0513U Home Energy Storage System.
The ESS models include the serial number ranging between ET-000200 and ET-000600, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC).
The affected models are believed to have been made in Canada, with the lithium-ion battery module being supplied by Korean firm LG Energy Solution, a subsidiary of LG Chem.
USCPSC stated Eguana sold units to installers from June 2017 through December 2019 for between $8,000 and $18,000 depending upon the system capacity; (a customer’s full system cost ranged between $40,000 and $80,000 depending upon storage capacity).
A USCPSC statement read: “The Evolve system allows owners to capture and store energy from solar panels. Each Evolve system includes between two and six battery modules, and the modules are removable and replaceable by trained installers.
“The Evolve is a freestanding cabinet that measures nearly three feet high and four feet long. The Eguana logo is located on the left door towards the center.”
Eguana has two versions of the Evolve ESS, one uses NMC technology with a LFP system being launched in 2020.
LG Chem concerns
In March 2021, LG Chem made a second safety recall over concerns its lithium-ion powered residential storage units installed in Australia could overheat and catch on fire.
Incidentally, the impacted units were sold from January 2017 through March 2019.
In August 2020, A 15-month investigation into an explosion at a lithium-ion battery storage facility operated by the Arizona Public Service (APS) utility in the US has found the cause was a cascading thermal runaway.
The batteries for the 2.16MWh system were supplied by South Korean battery maker LG Chem.
In a statement at the time, LG Chem refuted claims the thermal runaway was caused by dendritic growth. It said: “The independent experts retained by LG Chem believe that the evidence rules out the theory regarding the cause of the initial thermal runaway event.”
