Swedish authorities issue warning about solar panels on balconies
The Swedish authorities have identified electrocution and fire risks posed by the improper deployment of plug-in solar modules.
Fire at Spanish solar park
Firefighters were able to extinguish a fire that broke out on Aug. 1 in the transformation center of the Ekian solar park in Álava, Spain.
Australia’s consumer watchdog warns about LG home batteries
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a call for homeowners to check their residential energy storage systems, amid a national recall of that batteries due to concerns about overheating.
Senec remotely switches off its residential batteries after explosion in Germany
The German battery manufacturer said this week its residential storage systems were automatically switched to a regulated stand-by mode in Germany. The background to the remote shutdown is three reports of explosions in houses in which Senec products were installed.
Akuo speaks out on recent fire accident at its 17MW floating PV plant in France
Nearly a month after the fire occurred at the O’Mega 1 floating power plant in Piolenc, Akuo has drawn the first conclusions from the incident. pv magazine was able to visit the site to observe the damage, gather lessons, and see the arrangements put in place by the site managers.
Australian lithium-ion battery blaze sparks safety concerns
A weekend fire caused by a lithium-ion home battery system in Adelaide, Australia, has prompted the authorities to urge solar and battery owners to be vigilant about system maintenance.
Best fire safety practices for rooftop PV systems
Compiled by an international research group, the best practices were collected from all available guidelines published by national agencies, regulatory bodies, and trade associations.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigates Tesla over alleged solar system fire negligence
The lawsuit stems from a 2019 whistleblower complaint alleging that the company failed to properly notify its shareholders, customers and the public of fire risks associated with solar panel system defects over the course of several years.
New tool to understand component failure rate in PV-related fires
Scientists have developed a new model based on fault tree analysis to evaluate the frequency of fires caused by rooftop PV systems and assess system safety and reliability. They claim that the new tool has the potential to identify fault linkages in systems, highlight failure patterns before they arise, and compare multiple designs for safety.
Australia removes much-criticized DC isolator mandate
Following years of lobbying, the Standards Australia Committee has removed the requirement for rooftop solar installations to include a DC isolator.
