Thermal assessment of pole-integrated LiFePO4 energy storage system for arid and non-maintainable locations - A case study in Qatar

Abstract

Deploying pole-integrated LiFePO₄ storage in hot, low-maintenance urban settings poses a thermal safety challenge. This study assesses the thermal behavior of pole-integrated LiFePO₄ energy storage systems (PIESS) in extreme desert conditions and identifies measures to keep temperatures within safe limits. Field data from 75 PIESS installations across Doha were combined with multiphysics simulations using COMSOL to analyze the internal temperature evolution under varied ambient conditions and charging rates. Six thermal management strategies, including three passive measures (air volume expansion, shading, and heat insulation), two active approaches (forced air convection and thermoelectric Peltier modules), and operational limits that constrain charge/discharge to safe envelopes, are evaluated. The selected methods emphasize low power and scalable solutions, in contrast to liquid or phase change cooling systems commonly reported in the literature, which are often impractical for decentralized applications. The results indicate that at lower charging rates, the battery temperature remains below the critical 60 °C threshold. Active cooling with a 10 W fan limited the temperature rise to 60.8 °C after 1 h at 1C, while multi-module Peltier systems maintained it around 60.6 °C. Passive strategies like air volume expansion and shading provide only modest buffering and are insufficient at high charge rates. The operational limit case demonstrated that maintaining an appropriate charge-to-load ratio effectively restricted the battery temperature within safe boundaries, even under high ambient conditions. These findings provide a thermally validated design approach for enhancing the safety and reliability of battery storage in smart urban infrastructure powered by renewable energy.