The study compared fire incidents across various categories, including HSSs, photovoltaic (PV) systems, electric vehicles (EVs), ICE vehicles, household appliances, and general residential fires. To assess the annual probability of residential electrical fires, researchers used the total number of residential buildings in Germany as a baseline.
Due to the absence of comprehensive scientific data on HSS-related fire incidents in Germany, the research team employed web crawlers, such as Talkwalker and Neticle/Youscan, to gather information. These tools collected data from local news outlets and fire department reports available online, enabling the researchers to analyze fire occurrences systematically.
The findings highlight the relative safety of HSSs compared to other fire risks in residential settings. By quantifying the lower probability of HSS fires, the study provides valuable insights for homeowners and policymakers evaluating the safety of energy storage systems. The research underscores the importance of using reliable data to inform safety standards and public perceptions about emerging technologies.
