Fighting House Fires With Solar Panels

Foremost among these are the hazards posed to firefighters when a building fitted with solar panels catches fire.

Fighting house fires with solar panels.

As mentioned fire and electrical codes are also being updated to deal with these issues. The first way is by turning off your inverter by a simple flip of the switch located on the front panel see picture below. Certain solar installations are designed such that even if the power is shut off to the home the solar panels will still be energized if the sun is shining. Here are some steps you can take.

Monitor your system for individual panel issues. Some of these hazards are as follows. 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. In actual roof fires with roof mounted solar panels fire damage has involved areas of between 1 000 and 183 000 ft 2 93 and 17 000 m 2.

Identify the system if possible. In laboratory based fire tests of roof assemblies 1 2 the maximum allowable fire spread is between approximately 20 and 40 ft 2 1 9 and 3 7 m 2 depending on whether an a b or c rating is desired. When fire departments arrive to a house fire where solar panels are interconnected to the power grid they have two options to kill the power on your solar panels and both ways are very quick. 1 2 courtesy of u s.

In most cases it isn t necessary or even recommended to regularly clean your solar. 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. The other answers so far neglect what a serious issue this can be. Pv systems and house fires.

Locate the central electrical system control panel photo 10 if you need to disconnect circuits. Solar panels are everywhere from tiny squares powering roadside signs to rooftops shining with panels harvesting sunlight for electricity but they are presenting new challenges. If you have microinverters or power optimizers you will have the. Clean any debris on your panels.

And not only energize. Pv systems may be a hazard in the case of a house fire particularly if firefighters are not aware that a system is installed. Assume every electrical circuit is live even if you. Firefighters attempting to extinguish a fire in a house outfitted with solar panels can also cover the arrays with heavy tarps limiting their exposure to light so that these light sensitive cells do not become energized.