How to protect rooftop PV systems from fire risk
Dutch research institute TNO has released a series of guidelines to reduce fire hazards in rooftop PV installations. The study follows a series of fire accidents that occurred between 2018 and 2020 in the Netherlands, for which the main causes were identified.
LG Energy recalling battery systems in Australia due to fire risks
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has confirmed a recall notice for some of LG Energy Solution’s battery energy storage systems due to potential fire-related risks.
Australian rooftop PV safety standards under fire in new report
The Australian rooftop PV market is expected to eclipse all previous records in 2020, but a new report has raised serious questions about the fire safety standards associated with small-scale solar installations.
Fire accident at Argentinian solar park’s central inverters
The municipal firefighters of Ullum have been working for about an hour-and-a-half to extinguish a fire in the inverters of the Ullum photovoltaic park, owned by Argentinian energy company Genneia.
Significant decline in potentially unsafe PV systems in Australia
A very small number of PV systems installed on Australian rooftops are considered to be potentially unsafe, the nation’s Clean Energy Regulator says in a new report. It identifies water entering DC isolators as the greatest risk and the most common cause of PV system failures.
Scientists analyze toxic gases released from burning thin-film, PET-laminated modules
Scientists from China’s State Key Laboratory of Fire Science have analyzed the combustion behavior of flexible PET-laminated PV panels. They found toxic gases including sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide and a small amount of volatile organic compounds are released when such a PV system burns.
Japanese government warns against fire risk from rooftop PV
The warning was made by the nation’s Consumer Affairs Agency, which claims 172 fire accidents occurred in Japan from 2008 to 2017. The Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association said it will provide homeowners with the relevant information and stressed fire risk should not be used as an argument against the energy transition.
