Fighting Fires With Solar Panels

Unless alternative environmental factors are at play solar panel fires are caused by one thing dc arc faults.

Fighting fires with solar panels.

Lots of pipes and a few thin wires photo 9 indicate a solar hot. 1 2 courtesy of u s. After all solar panels don t have tail pipes. Today in the united states demand for solar is at an all time high and the fire service must become educated and trained on the.

The good news is fire departments and homeowners have nothing to worry about in this regard. Only solar electric systems pose significant firefighter hazards but note that solar shingles may be hard to spot photo 8. Most are designed to withstand large hailstones and high winds. Today s solar panels tend to be very strong.

One of the big misconceptions about solar panels is that they produce electricity nonstop and thus are a major hazard for fire departments dispatched to fight home fires. Firefighting is intrinsically dangerous and battling a blaze in a building equipped with solar panels only adds to the list of perils firefighters have to confront. Panels take up needed space on the roof. Specifically this study focuses on structural fire fighting in buildings and structures involving solar power systems utilizing solar panels that generate thermal and or electrical energy with a particular focus on solar photovoltaic panels used for electric power generation.

Paul mcallister a firefighter in rhode island told a local television station that firefighters often attempt to fight fires from outside the building rather than enter the house if there are solar panels on the roof. After all putting water on an electrical fire is not smart right. Combine the dc arc with a combustable material and fire is the result. Dc arc faults are quite simply electrical energy flowing through an air gap which in turn creates an electrical arc.