Is a SAPS safe, and what about fire risk?

Vantara’s battery modules are LiFePO₄ and certified to IEC 62619, the international safety standard for lithium cells and batteries in industrial applications, whose current edition includes a mandatory thermal propagation test, plus UN 38.3 for transport and CE. Inverters are certified to EN-IEC 62477-1 and EN-IEC 62109-1 and -2, with EMC to EN-IEC 61000-6-1 through -6-4. The enclosure is IP55, fire-resistant twin-walled construction, rated −30 °C to +60 °C, with door alarms, temperature sensing and a padlockable lock.

The chemistry choice is deliberate and worth understanding. LiFePO₄ is the most thermally stable lithium chemistry in commercial use, materially different from the NMC and NCA chemistries used in electric vehicles and consumer devices, which are the batteries people have usually seen in a news report. That is a real difference, not a marketing one.

It is not however, a claim that lithium cannot fail. Any energy storage system requires correct installation, charge control, thermal management and protection, and the relevant Australian requirements, AS/NZS 5139 where in scope, AS 3011 and AS 2676 where not plus the fire-engineering requirements applying to the building or enclosure, need to be met on their own terms. Regulatory positions on lithium battery storage in occupied buildings are evolving. Any project involving lithium in an occupied building should assume heightened scrutiny from fire safety authorities. Check the local authority position during design, not after installation