How do you extinguish a solar panel fire?

No foam is needed to extinguish a solar panel or battery fire. In fact, tests have shown that running water is the most effective tool. Foam is not recommended because it doesn't actually do anything. The foam is designed to change the surface tension of the water, basically making the water more humid and able to penetrate, while what we have found with solar panels and with cold battery water is what is needed to put out the fire and then cool it down with a battery.

With a solar panel, you just need to put out the fire. So, if you're just fighting a fire involving solar panels and nothing else, you have metal, glass and plastic; foam isn't going to help. If you're fighting a fire on a tiled roof, it's wood, I recommend that you use foam initially, but when it comes to fighting a fire with solar panels, you don't need foam or batteries. The key to a commercial building — again, let's say a Walmart with 1,000 panels on its roof — is that ventilation tactics are going to have to change.

The numerous improvements to the code in recent years have had a very positive impact on the safety of firefighters when they work near solar energy systems. The national solar license database provides information on specific state licensing requirements for solar system installers. With trusses, first, you have to inspect the building with the trusses and the heavy load of the armor before installing the solar panels. He began his career in the solar industry in 1994 and was a firefighter for the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department.

SETO has funded work with Sandia National Laboratories and Underwriters Laboratory to quantify the potential risks faced by first responders when fighting solar roof fires. According to a report that details fire risks in Germany, evaluates fire risks in photovoltaic systems and develops safety concepts to minimize risks, 210 of the 430 fires related to solar systems were caused by the system itself. Imagine that you go to a Walmart and you go to look for a panel and you see which circuit is indicated as the alarm trigger. In addition, installers can obtain certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Professionals, a nationally recognized voluntary program that provides credentials to those working with photovoltaic and solar heating technologies.

While systems properly installed by qualified professionals must comply with current safety codes, solar fires do occur. They could provide room lighting, hot air, hot water or electricity; and several types of panels could be combined in a single installation.