Solar panels hampering firefighting efforts

gvillager · Sep 3, 2013

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...rowing-Hazard-for-Firefighters-222085811.html

A solar array with more than 7,000 photovoltaic panels lined the roof of the nearly 300,000 square-foot refrigeration facility which served as a temporary storage center for the company’s deli meats and cheeses. But the panels, while environmentally sustainable and cost-saving, may have led to the complete destruction of the warehouse.
Fighting the fire under bright blue skies Sunday, Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt was forced to keep firefighters from attacking the blaze from the roof because of electrocution concerns.

This is something I never considered. Any thoughts on how we can prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future?

JPP · Sep 3, 2013

AFAIK, the panels are set up with a way to sever/disconnect strings of panels to de-energize them. I assume that emergency responders have training on this. I know that my system has special red labels on key conduits and disconnects.

jerry33 · Sep 3, 2013

A fire detection system that shuts down the solar panels. Also, it's possible that the firefighters didn't have the training required.

Kaivball · Sep 3, 2013

My house has a huge shut off switch on the outside, just for this kind of thing.

Surprised that there wasn't one or maybe the fire fighters didn't see it.

woof · Sep 3, 2013

The Run-On-Sun CEO's blog had a decent in-depth article at this issue:
Fire! Is Solar a Threat?

rlang59 · Sep 3, 2013

Even if you cut the power from the ground if you are not using micro inverters at the panels there is still a lot of power up there. Most of these big installs have string inverters and I assume that is what this building had. If that was the case then the roof would have been live.

mknox · Sep 4, 2013

This is a huge issue not only for firefighters but for utility personnel as well. The "anti-islanding" systems can fail, and as has been previously mentioned, a disconnect at ground level does nothing for the power being generated "upstream" of that switch (i.e. on the roof).

There are blankets and black sprays that can be applied to the solar panels to block the sun's rays.

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Solar panels hampering firefighting efforts

gvillager

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JPP

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jerry33

(S85-3/2/13 traded in) X LR: F2611##-3/27/20

Kaivball

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woof

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rlang59

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mknox

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