Solar panels are a great way to get clean energy, and more and more people in Norway are putting them on their homes.
In 2022, twice as many solar panels were connected to the power grid in Norway than the year before. In total, around 25,000 solar panel systems are up and running.
But here’s a concern: solar panels on buildings can make fires spread faster across roofs and walls. This info comes from a study by NTNU and other research centers.
The issue is the small space or ‘gap’ between the solar panel and the roof. This gap often has electric wires and if there’s a problem, a fire can start. Once it does, the solar panel can make the fire move faster up the roof.
However, researchers found a simple solution: increase the gap between the roof and the solar panel. Just adding an extra 3 centimeters can make a big difference in slowing down a fire.
If the gap is bigger, the solar panel can handle a bigger fire without it spreading too fast.
The researchers also tested how solar panels on walls, or facades, affect fire safety. They found that fires spread faster on walls with solar panels. Some parts of the solar panels even fall off when there’s a fire.
This can be dangerous for people trying to leave the building and for firefighters trying to put out the fire.
What’s interesting is that most fires happen right after the solar panels are installed. This might be because of mistakes made during installation.
Fires can also happen when solar panels get old and damaged. But since many solar panels in Norway are new, we still need more info on this.
One big problem is that firefighters in Norway aren’t fully prepared for solar panel fires. In a survey of 66 fire departments, only 20% said they had training for solar panel fires. Even fewer, less than 10%, had special plans for dealing with these fires.
Stølen, one of the researchers, said solar panels can still make electricity when there’s sunlight. If they’re broken during a fire and someone touches them, it can be very dangerous.
In other countries, like Germany and the U.S., they found that for every gigawatt (GW) of solar power, there were 29 fires each year. The main reasons were problems with parts of the solar panels, especially connectors.
Norway has big plans for solar power. The government wants to have 8 Terrawatt-hours by 2030. This is 22 times more than what they have now. If this happens, we might see around 300 fires every year just from solar panels. But Stølen says these numbers can go down if we make changes based on their research.
However, Stølen also pointed out that the chance of a fire from a solar panel is very low for each homeowner.
In fact, if someone has a typical solar panel system, there might be one fire every 3,500 years! So, it’s still safe. Stølen even said he would be happy to have solar panels on his own house.
In short, while solar panels have many benefits, it’s important to install them correctly and safely. A small change, like increasing the gap, can make a big difference in reducing fire risks.
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