The decision taken by the Fire Departments of the states of Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and Goiás, in addition to the Federal District, to release a technical note with stricter safety measures for solar energy systems, is influencing other federative units in Brazil to do the same.
Currently, there is already a standard being drafted in Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo and another one is just awaiting publication in Rio Grande do Sul – which means that the regulation will soon come into effect in the municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul. The objective of these regulations is to impose the use of additional protective equipment, such as rapid shutdown, and to retrofit facilities that already have systems solar energy on your premises.
All of these documents are mandatory for properties that require an operating license, such as commercial and industrial establishments and multi-family units (condominiums), since it is not the technical responsibility of the fire department to inspect residential buildings.
Corporations are choosing to publish these documents to avoid fires caused by poor installation of photovoltaic systems by companies in the sector. This subject has been widely discussed by the Fire Department for over a year.
Luis Magri, Solar BU coordinator at Proauto Electric, brought this and other information related to the topic during the 4th edition of Canal Conecta – a Group event Canal Solar, which started this Tuesday (22) and runs until October 23, in São Paulo (SP).
During the lecture, the executive also spoke about the need for more efficient and safer approaches by companies in the sector to ensure fire prevention in photovoltaic installations. The executive highlighted some of the most common failures that tend to occur, including: errors in the assembly of connectors, inverters and string boxes, as well as photovoltaic modules.
Among connectors, the most common ones occur due to crimping failures, incompatibility of the connectors used and the use of damaged or dried-out connectors. “The integrator buys an inverter that comes with a certain connector, but he decides to buy the cables from another supplier and more connectors from a third supplier. Is all of this compatible?” he asked.
In relation to inverters and string boxes, the most common errors are: incorrect equipment torque, insulation leakage (damaged cables) and errors in the sizing process. In the case of photovoltaic modules, the main errors involve the lack of cleaning of the solar panels, causing hot spots; and the fact that installers step on the panels during installation, causing micro-cracks in the technology.
According to Magri, these are common mistakes that occur in everyday life, but which are directly responsible for causing many fires to start in photovoltaic plants.
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An answer
Dear all, with all due respect, I forgot to mention perhaps the greatest danger in photovoltaic installations, which is the occurrence of electric arcs due to poor contact and some of the reasons mentioned in the comment. Unlike alternating current, direct current does not go through zero and let us remember that “we cannot turn off the sun” and when an arc occurs, it acts like a blowtorch and is certainly a great danger for the outbreak of fire. The concern is so great that the fire departments of some states, including those mentioned in the article, already require the installation of inverters with the capacity to extinguish electric arcs. This is a great technological advance. Let us remember that the main cause of fires is electrical in origin. Engineer, professor, master in electrical engineering science, designer in solar energy, energy efficiency and electric vehicle charging stations.