Fire response plan ‘none’… “There is no answer other than burning down.”
Each construction standard, maintenance, accessories, and fire risk increase.
“Safety must be secured first in order to establish the BIPV industry.”
#A building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) fire accident occurred at a public institution in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do in June last year. It engulfed panels and structures, causing damage worth millions of won. Because it was a public holiday, there were no casualties, but a fire brigade official who actually jumped into the fire recalled the time as “dizzying.”
This official said, “Even if the electricity was turned off, the risk of electric shock and additional fire remained, and it was difficult to equip appropriate safety equipment because it was on the roof of the building.” He added, “BIPV facilities will expand further in the future, but there is no proper response manual, so it is at a loss.” .
BIPV's importance is growing due to zero energy buildings and the implementation of the Special Act on Distributed Energy Activation, but it is being pointed out that it is vulnerable to fire due to the lack of separate management and supervision standards from construction methods to materials. In particular, there are concerns that the lives of firefighters extinguishing fires may be threatened, as appropriate response measures in case of fire are lacking.
Although the solar energy and construction industries are concerned about increased construction costs, frontline sites are calling for improvements in related safety standards, laws, and systems in order to establish the BIPV industry.
According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Office and the Gyeongnam Fire Department on the 22nd, the number of solar fires in buildings that occurred in the province from 2021 to the first half of last year was a total of 22, including short circuits and overloads. Of these, 17 cases were due to short circuits such as insulation/deterioration and poor contact, and one case each was due to overload and overheating.
The previous case of public institutions in Jinju City was the result of a combination of these factors. The construction company installed the panels in violation of the required tilt for ventilation, and each module was deformed (bent) into a structure vulnerable to fire. Because it was a rooftop, contaminants adhered to the surface of the module due to lack of constant management, and the surface temperature reached 89℃, exceeding the maximum allowable value (85℃). Ultimately, the authorities estimate that the ignition started when short-circuit arc heat was generated in the connector socket of the connection part.
An official from the fire department said, “Modules constructed with an excessively low inclination angle create ‘hot spots’ because contaminants are not washed away by rainwater, so proper construction methods must be given priority.” He added, “In particular, at this site, the connector sockets were different without a standard due to poor contact, etc. “It appears to have been exposed to abnormally high temperatures.”
The problem is that many BIPVs are exposed to the same risk of accidents due to lack of appropriate response measures to prevent this. In particular, it is pointed out that this risk may increase as the government encourages the supply of self-sufficient energy facilities for each building to achieve energy independence.
Moreover, wall-type solar power installed vertically along the wall of a building is even more dangerous. Compared to horizontally installed solar power, such as roof solar power, the combustion range of wall solar power in the event of a fire is more than 10 times greater.
An official from the fire department said, “There are aspects of installation that do not include detailed requirements for actual operation and maintenance.” “There are many cases of neglect,” he said.
He also said, “One rooftop solar power site we visited for a fact-finding survey did not even have an entrance or exit route for firefighters equipped with heavy firefighting equipment to enter or escape.” He added, “In the event of an actual fire, firefighters must face danger without any countermeasures. “Sem,” he said.
For this reason, it is suggested that it is urgent to establish safety manuals and ensure overall system stability, led by fire departments extinguishing fires.
A fire department official said, “Currently, there is no separate fire suppression manual for solar power facilities within the standard operating procedures (SOP), and it is limited to spraying firefighting water in the form of fog ‘as a rule of thumb.’ Also, since there have been actual cases of electric shock, there is a method of breaking and spraying, but it is difficult to apply in high-rise areas,” he said. “We are considering preparing customized SOPs to prepare for the expansion of solar power facilities, as well as introducing domestically the Electrical Safety Code (NEC), which is operated in the United States.” “It must be done,” he argued.
Some analyzes say that the introduction of a rapid disconnect device (RSD) is essential in the short term. The RSD device, which includes string optimizers and module-level power terminals (MLPE), has the function of temporarily turning off the power to all solar modules, and is attracting attention as a means of preventing major disasters in solar power generation where fires spread to each module. there is.
An industry official said, “RSD not only cuts off power, but also monitors and controls malfunctions, failures, abnormal temperatures, and power generation in real time at each module level, so it not only reduces risk but also increases power generation.” He added, “In fact, the US has NEC. “Through this, we preemptively took care of the safety of BIPV and solar power by mandating RSD installation in all 47 states,” he explained.
Source: Electric Newspaper (https://www.electimes.com)
Each construction standard, maintenance, accessories, and fire risk increase.
“Safety must be secured first in order to establish the BIPV industry.”
#A building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) fire accident occurred at a public institution in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do in June last year. It engulfed panels and structures, causing damage worth millions of won. Because it was a public holiday, there were no casualties, but a fire brigade official who actually jumped into the fire recalled the time as “dizzying.”
This official said, “Even if the electricity was turned off, the risk of electric shock and additional fire remained, and it was difficult to equip appropriate safety equipment because it was on the roof of the building.” He added, “BIPV facilities will expand further in the future, but there is no proper response manual, so it is at a loss.” .
BIPV's importance is growing due to zero energy buildings and the implementation of the Special Act on Distributed Energy Activation, but it is being pointed out that it is vulnerable to fire due to the lack of separate management and supervision standards from construction methods to materials. In particular, there are concerns that the lives of firefighters extinguishing fires may be threatened, as appropriate response measures in case of fire are lacking.
Although the solar energy and construction industries are concerned about increased construction costs, frontline sites are calling for improvements in related safety standards, laws, and systems in order to establish the BIPV industry.
According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Office and the Gyeongnam Fire Department on the 22nd, the number of solar fires in buildings that occurred in the province from 2021 to the first half of last year was a total of 22, including short circuits and overloads. Of these, 17 cases were due to short circuits such as insulation/deterioration and poor contact, and one case each was due to overload and overheating.
The previous case of public institutions in Jinju City was the result of a combination of these factors. The construction company installed the panels in violation of the required tilt for ventilation, and each module was deformed (bent) into a structure vulnerable to fire. Because it was a rooftop, contaminants adhered to the surface of the module due to lack of constant management, and the surface temperature reached 89℃, exceeding the maximum allowable value (85℃). Ultimately, the authorities estimate that the ignition started when short-circuit arc heat was generated in the connector socket of the connection part.
An official from the fire department said, “Modules constructed with an excessively low inclination angle create ‘hot spots’ because contaminants are not washed away by rainwater, so proper construction methods must be given priority.” He added, “In particular, at this site, the connector sockets were different without a standard due to poor contact, etc. “It appears to have been exposed to abnormally high temperatures.”
The problem is that many BIPVs are exposed to the same risk of accidents due to lack of appropriate response measures to prevent this. In particular, it is pointed out that this risk may increase as the government encourages the supply of self-sufficient energy facilities for each building to achieve energy independence.
Moreover, wall-type solar power installed vertically along the wall of a building is even more dangerous. Compared to horizontally installed solar power, such as roof solar power, the combustion range of wall solar power in the event of a fire is more than 10 times greater.
An official from the fire department said, “There are aspects of installation that do not include detailed requirements for actual operation and maintenance.” “There are many cases of neglect,” he said.
He also said, “One rooftop solar power site we visited for a fact-finding survey did not even have an entrance or exit route for firefighters equipped with heavy firefighting equipment to enter or escape.” He added, “In the event of an actual fire, firefighters must face danger without any countermeasures. “Sem,” he said.
For this reason, it is suggested that it is urgent to establish safety manuals and ensure overall system stability, led by fire departments extinguishing fires.
A fire department official said, “Currently, there is no separate fire suppression manual for solar power facilities within the standard operating procedures (SOP), and it is limited to spraying firefighting water in the form of fog ‘as a rule of thumb.’ Also, since there have been actual cases of electric shock, there is a method of breaking and spraying, but it is difficult to apply in high-rise areas,” he said. “We are considering preparing customized SOPs to prepare for the expansion of solar power facilities, as well as introducing domestically the Electrical Safety Code (NEC), which is operated in the United States.” “It must be done,” he argued.
Some analyzes say that the introduction of a rapid disconnect device (RSD) is essential in the short term. The RSD device, which includes string optimizers and module-level power terminals (MLPE), has the function of temporarily turning off the power to all solar modules, and is attracting attention as a means of preventing major disasters in solar power generation where fires spread to each module. there is.
An industry official said, “RSD not only cuts off power, but also monitors and controls malfunctions, failures, abnormal temperatures, and power generation in real time at each module level, so it not only reduces risk but also increases power generation.” He added, “In fact, the US has NEC. “Through this, we preemptively took care of the safety of BIPV and solar power by mandating RSD installation in all 47 states,” he explained.
Source: Electric Newspaper (https://www.electimes.com)