We have been following the reports involving electric vehicle battery (EV) fires, including the news about a cargo ship that burned for a week on the North Sea while carrying thousands of cars, nearly 500 of which were reported to be EVs, into a Dutch port for salvaging.
Now, there is another iconic green energy technology that we may have to worry about: Solar panels.
The number of fires involving solar panels has soared after a boom in their use driven by energy bill rises, The Independent can reveal.Data obtained under freedom of information rules show that there were six times the number of fires involving solar panels last year compared with 10 years ago.The rate has increased sharply with 66 fires already recorded up until July this year compared with 63 for the whole of 2019, prompting concern from safety experts who are worried about a lack of regulation on who can install them.
The UK Independent also notes that the fire risks are increasing among the ‘first wave’ of units installed at the beginning of the green energy/climate crisis mania.
…The National Fire Chiefs Council said it was “concerned” about the possible risk to building safety, while the charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) said the rise in fires meant “further investigations are urgently required”.Increasing solar generation is integral to the UK meeting its net zero goals. According to the trade association Solar Energy UK (SEUK), the domestic installation rate is the highest it has been in more than seven years.However, new data from 45 of the UK’s 52 fire authorities, suggests that the first wave of solar panels installed under the government’s Feed in Tariff (FiT) subsidies introduced in 2010, are increasingly at risk of catching fire.
Great Britain is not the only country where solar panel fires have occurred. In New Jersey this summer, solar panels ignited on the rooftop at a large pharmaceutical supply warehouse.
Solar panels and an HVAC unit on the roof were on fire when firefighters were called to the McKesson Corporation warehouse on John Henry Drive in the Matrix Northeast Business Park in Robbinsville shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, the Robbinsville Fire Department said.Firefighters from Robbinsville and surrounding towns in Monmouth and Mercer counties brought the blaze under control in a little over an hour. The 350,000-square-foot building was not heavily damaged and none of the millions of dollars of merchandise inside was destroyed.Smoke could be seen for miles, authorities said.
In July, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Cape Cod also had a fire associated with its solar panels. The blaze was so intense that the initial responders had to call in more units for assistance.
A fire that erupted at a church on Cape Cod on Friday originated in solar panels on the building’s roof, according to authorities.Orleans firefighters were sent to the St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church shortly after 4 p.m. Friday after a person passing by spotted flames coming from the roof of the building and called 911, according to a statement from the town’s fire department.When they arrived, firefighters saw smoke and flames coming from the roof of the church. A fire engine and ladder truck were initially sent to the scene, but more first responders and vehicles were soon called from neighboring towns to help out. There were 38 firefighters in total at the scene, the department noted in its statement.
Returning to EVs, five cars were destroyed in a fire at Australia’s Sydney Airport after a luxury electric car’s lithium-ion battery caught alight.
The car burst into flames before the blaze spread to four other vehicles in a parking lot on Airport Drive in Mascot around 8.30pm.A lithium-ion battery that had been detached from the luxury car and stored in the lot was the cause of the blaze, Fire and Rescue NSW determined today.
Truly…green energy is on fire. But not in a good way.
This story is from five years ago:
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