Self-immolating lithium-ion batteries spewing toxic smoke is just another part of our grand wind and solar transition.
And it’s not just those in service providing deadly pyrotechnic displays (see above the giant Tesla that burned for days in Victoria). Those past their use by dates are also giving thrilling thermal displays, as they turn their bevy of heavy metals and rare earths into impossible-to-control fires (they can’t be extinguished) and threaten the lives of neighbours for miles around. This time, the incendiary action is in France.
Lithium battery warehouse goes up in flames
The Telegraph
Vivian Song
18 February 2024
A warehouse in France storing lithium batteries caught fire on Saturday, amid growing fears over their safety.
The fire on Saturday afternoon occurred at a storehouse in the southern town of Viviez, in Aveyron, where 900 tons of lithium batteries were waiting to be recycled.
Authorities ordered residents to stay indoors and keep their windows closed as thick smoke billowed over the town. No injuries or deaths were reported and the cause of the fire has yet to be established.
Lithium batteries, found in electric scooters and vacuum cleaners, are known to spontaneously combust if they overheat or become damaged. Their dangers have raised concerns in countries where e-bikes have been promoted as a climate-friendly mode of transportation.
Questions raised
Jean-Louis Denoit, the mayor of Viviez, called Saturday’s fire “shocking” and told French news channel BFMTV: “Behind all this, there is indeed reason to ask questions about the function of electric vehicles and lithium batteries.”
It took 70 firefighters to put the fire under control, after which air quality tests were conducted and the lockdown order lifted.
France has moved to promote cycling since the pandemic, with e-bikes becoming hugely popular in cities like Paris. However irresponsible behaviour and a rising number of accidents has led to criticism around their use, and how to store their batteries safely.
In the UK, a proposal to build one of Europe’s largest battery storage facilities near the village of Granborough, in Buckinghamshire, was met with fierce opposition by locals who have expressed environmental and safety concerns.
The plan, by the energy company Statera, calls for a 500 MW battery energy storage system that would span 26 acres of land.
Responding to the plans, the Claydon Solar Action Group wrote on social media: “Unacceptable risks of fire, explosion, air and water pollution, a major accident waiting to happen just 500 metres away from residential properties.”
The Telegraph
STOP THESE THINGS 
Now imagine that in an underground hotel car park!
Or a 51-acre forested site in Wendell MA proposed for an industrial Battery Energy Storage System, next to the Wendell State Forest and adjacent to the largest Mass. Audubon Sanctuary — NO LOCAL ZONING ALLOWED, says Governor Maura Healey.
The Federal, and some liberal state governments, have gotten away with usurping tremendous authority to which they have no right and that’s what is driving all this. It’s at the point that they’re dictating what you can eat for breakfast