Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies (SARET) Research Program
Fire and Rescue NSW is currently leading a collaborative research program on the Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies (SARET).
Partnering with other fire services, government agencies, research institutions and industry from around the world, the program will look at best practice fire brigade response to lithium-ion battery related fires, end-of-life lithium-ion battery hazard management, electric vehicle fires in structures, and fire propagation in battery energy storage systems.
Latest news and updates
July 2024: SARET Project 4 NHRA EOI Advertised
Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA) have opened an Expression of Interest for SARET Project 4 - Fire propagation in energy storage systems.
The purpose of this project is to understand the risks related to fire propagation within and between stationary Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) due to external factors to aid in the prevention of injuries to people and minimisation of damage to buildings, infrastructure and the environment.
For this project, the Centre and FRNSW are seeking a research provider to investigate the risks related to fire propagation within and between stationary energy storage systems due to external factors (such as fire impingement, temperature extremes, impact/shock and vibrations, and water ingress/flooding) not considered in current standards. This will be achieved by conducting a series of comprehensive real fire tests at suitable fire research and testing facilities.
EOI proposals are due by 5:00pm AEST 7 August 2024. Further details can be found here on the Natural Nazards Research Australia website [external link].
March 2024:
2022-2023 FRNSW battery incident data breakdown has now been published. View our publications here.
March 2023:
Now that FRNSW has secured seed funding for three of the four SARET projects, we are contacting parties who have expressed interest in collaborating with us to finalise the collaborative research agreements. Information on how to join the program is available here.
August 2022:
Senior Research Officer Kim Thai presented an overview of the SARET program at the 2022 AFAC Conference. View the presentation here [external link].
June 2022:
Fire and Rescue NSW has seen a significant rise in fires related to lithium-ion batteries in many applications. It is important that we all understand the risks and be prepared if things go wrong.
We've added some important information on Battery and Charging Safety to our website. Please note that some of the guidance is region-specific. Check with your local authority for information on equipment compliance, recycling, and disposal.
May 2022:
Over the past fortnight, in the true spirit of collaboration, some 70-80 participants from several time zones logged on to each of the kick off meetings for the four technical working groups. Some for all of them!
We had some small hiccups that were bound to happen when such large groups of contributors are involved however everyone was so patient and supportive. Thank you to all our partners for sharing your knowledge and perspective to help scope the projects. You’ve set us up nicely for the next steps in this exciting program!
March 2022:
Thank you to all who have submitted an expression of interest in collaborating with FRNSW on research into the Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies, and for joining us in the initial online workshop held on 24th February. The project team will be in contact soon to organise the next steps.
Nov 2021:
FRNSW is calling on industry, government, research organisations and other fire services to support a vital program of research over 24 months from June 2022. The SARET Research Program will comprise a suite of testing projects designed to address priority research questions around the safety of alternative energy technologies with an initial focus on Lithium-ion batteries and battery energy storage systems.