MARKET I INDUSTRY SAFETY
Safety: A priority for the solar industry
Government subsidies were like a gold rush to the global PV market attracting foreign investment and kick starting local industry. With a rush of players into new markets, things do not always go well in terms of high standards. Gregory Spanoudakis, Canadian Solar’s President of EMEA Operations discusses this from a UK and European perspective after subsidies in those regions led to less qualified installers creating high fire risks. He proposes that a safe market will realise a sustainable market.
D
espite this year’s uncertainty around the Feed in Tariff cuts, the number of solar module installations on British buildings continues to rise. Whilst this is undoubtedly a positive sign for the industry, an absence of UK or European standards means that consumers need to take more care with the installation and maintenance of these modules to ensure the safety and ROI of the product. One particular concern being discussed most frequently is the fire risks posed by solar installations.
Though there are no official industry statistics around solar module fires, incidents like the 2009 fire in Burstadt, Germany, or even last year’s fire in High Wycombe, England, keep the risk of fire front of mind. The main issue with solar modules and fire is that even if the module is not the cause of the fire, which they rarely are, any fire in a building with a PV system can offer more risk to both home owners and firefighters. However, by taking some simple precautions, owners can help prepare for such a scenario and make sure that if the worst were to happen, the consequences remain lower.
The key is preparation and communication. One simple first step is to inform the local fire department that your building has been fitted with solar modules. Often, firefighters only learn that the building is equipped with a solar system when they arrive on the scene – a problem because solar rooftop installations demand a different approach both in terms of safety and because traditional extinguishing methods do not apply to electrical systems.
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www.solar-international.net I Issue III 2012
Not only do the roof top position, risk of falling glass, and slippery surfaces of the modules need to be considered but
so too does the system’s high DC voltage. In the absence of any kind of national database of systems, the responsibility falls to the owner of the system to inform the local fire department about the location and type of PVs on his/their buildings, preferably as soon as the system is installed and at the very latest when the emergency call is made. Here, the more information that can be shared with the department regarding the wire routing, setup, isolator switches, inverters and supply stations the better. The circuit distributor, switch box and meter cabinet should also be equipped with a “Caution: Voltage” sign, which can be found in a number of equipment shops across the UK.
Hazardous environments
The danger posed by solar panels to fire crews is already a topic of much debate in the US. According to the Fire Protection Research Foundation, on average 215 fire fighters are injured in the US each year by electric shock while responding to calls.
Though there is no evidence as to how many of these injuries directly relate to solar modules, such is the concern around the issue, that a legislative proposal is underway in the US fighting
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