EN 
PT_BR 
Two women needed the support from the Fire Department after a panel solar energy to fall over the car in which they were traveling along an avenue Campo Grande, MS) in the late afternoon of this Thursday (20).
O equipment came loose from the roof of an installation during the storm which hit the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul and other cities in the state, which are under alert from Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology).
This week, gusts of winds surpassed the barrier of 80 km/h in Campo Grande. There were records of neighborhoods without electricity, in addition to the failure of a transformer in the central region of the city.
Both women were not injured, despite the damage caused to the vehicle. O solar energy panel, in turn, ended up on the avenue's median.
According to professionals heard by Solar Channel, O episode reinforces the importance of correct use of fixing structures for photovoltaic systems.
Gustavo Lopes, civil structural engineer at SSM, highlights that in Brazil There are standards that govern the installation of fixing structures.
Among them, the professional highlights:
- NBR 6.123: covers considerations about forces due to wind in buildings in Brazil;
- NBR 8,800: establishes the basic requirements that must be met in the design of steel structures and composite structures;
- NBR 14,762: provides for the design of cold-formed steel structures.
According to him, if the installation had followed the prescribed standards, a module would never have detached from a roof in these situations (winds of up to 80 km/h). “Probably, there may have been an error in the dimensioning of the structure, design flaws or failures in the execution of the installation”, he commented.
Raphael Vaz, on the other hand, product engineer at 2P, highlights that all projects have their prerequisites, in which the installation manuals and manufacturers' determinations need to be followed.
“If a manufacturer 'A' recommends good practices for a certain type of material, it is not the same as manufacturer 'B'. So, the installer needs to read the installation manuals to know how to proceed and the right way to install each of the structures. Each manual must be followed exactly”, he emphasized.
The professional also highlights that the Brazilian market still lacks good products and that the number of qualified companies is still low.
“Much is said about choosing a high-efficiency module and inverters that do not break down the system, but little is said about the products that sustain an installation and make it stand for more than 25 years,” he stated.
“In Brazil, there is a market for locksmiths and metalworkers who make an alternative structure, which in many cases is not good, because no guidance is given to them about exposure to winds and the like. In addition to good practices, it is important to choose quality equipment”, highlighted Vaz.
