INDUSTRYSAFETY
Safety as standard
The global solar and PV industry have seen rapid growth over the last few years and in the rush to maximise opportunities some operators have cut corners to meet changing policies or beat price volatility. Where ever such incidents occur they impact on the overall perception of the industry and can become a barrier to consumer acceptance. Rod Taylor of Seaward Solar argues that developing a standard solution to PV safety fears at an early stage of industry growth will improve industry opportunities with a concerted effort to ensure safety throughout the value chain.
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raised over the safety of certain domestic solar PV installations. On this occasion, in Australia, the NSW Government issued details of a survey of solar PV installations in western Sydney that found that 18.5% of the installations had major defects. Of the 658 systems inspected, 122 were found to have significant safety issues and a further 418 (63.5%) were found to have minor defects.
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Another and more recent study took place in the Australian state of South Australia, and the results confirmed a high number of non-compliant solar installations. The audit was carried out by the State Government on 300 household installations and found more than half were non-compliant, including two considered a high risk of causing fires. The report follows a month after a local newspaper’s revelations that more than a third of solar installation firms in South Australia were unlicensed.
These findings mirror that of a similar survey last year in France when safety inspectors from the electrical safety certification agency Conseul found that 51% of all PV installations in the country posed a potential safety risk and did not conform to regulations.
It is clear that in some circles the concerns are that incorrectly installed PV systems can create a fire hazard or in certain cases increase the risk of electrocution – and there are others who have an interest in the correct and proper installation of solar PV systems.
ews has emerged recently of another situation where concern has been
Buyer beware
The owner of the solar panel installation needs to have confidence that the system will function correctly and avoid any potential hazard throughout its usable lifetime. Manufacturers of PV cells, inverters and components, are equally concerned that their reputations can be held to account as, should a failure occur due to poor installation practices, they and their
products are then viewed as contributory to the
hazard. The buildings insurance industry
clearly has a vested interest in ensuring that installations are
properly installed, and are not the basis of compensation claims. Last, though not least, the emergency services who may need to deal with an
www.solar-pv-uk.com Issue IV 2011
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