LG Chem recalls home battery systems after reports of fires
The South Korean industrial giant is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on the recall after the company received reports of five fires with its battery systems that caused limited property damage and no injuries, according to a notice from recall seen by Bloomberg.
LG Energy Solution Co., formed this month after LG decided to separate from its energy storage and battery business for electric vehicles, is working with related companies to determine the cause, he said. stated in a press release sent by email. The recall is voluntary and customers will be offered free replacement of some batteries as a preventative measure, the company said.
The affected units were sold by various solar power system distributors, including Sunrun Inc. from January 2017 to March 2019, according to the recall notice. The cells in the recalled units may overheat, according to the notice.
Sunrun has confirmed the recall and said it is affecting around 5% of its Brightbox customers.
We have already started to proactively replace batteries affected by the recall and have credited customers for the brief downtime, Sunrun spokesperson Wyatt Semanek said in an email.
The recall comes at a time when many solar installers are offering batteries as part of their systems. Many homeowners are now looking for back-up power to protect themselves from power outages due to hurricanes, extreme heat, or the threat of wildfires.
LG Chem supplied batteries to an Arizona utility-owned energy storage facility that exploded last year and caused several injuries. The utility said the fire was caused by a faulty cell. LG Chem disputed these findings.
By Mark Chediak and Brian Eckhouse
