Fire protection for solar container communication station inverters

Are building related PV systems a fire hazard?

In 2017, a detailed report about fire incidents involving building related PV systems was published by the BRE National Solar Centre. According to this report (BRE 2017a), compared to a total number of about 1 million PV systems installed in the UK, 58 fire incidents involving building related PV systems were reported since 2010.

Are solar PV systems causing fires?

In 2015, TÜV Rheinland in cooperation with Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) published a report about fire incidents involving building related PV systems until 2013 and their causes. This detailed analysis showed that 430 Fire/Heat damages were officially reported, whereof 210 were triggered by the PV system itself.

Are photovoltaic systems safe for firefighters?

PV systems can be handled in the same way as any other electrically live equipment. A joint industry study that was carried out in Germany (Fraunhofer ISE 2019) concluded that photovoltaic systems do not pose any special threat to firefighters, as long as the firefighters comply with the safety clearances.

Can module-level power electronics reduce the risk of fire?

Some measures currently available on the market, such as module-level power electronics (MLPE) devices, often do not contribute to reducing the risk of fire, but could instead lead to an even increased risk of fire, as it will be discussed in chapters 3 and 5.