Fire Fighter Do Not Like Solar Panels

Saying we can t fight a fire because of solar panels is like saying we can t fight a high rise fire because our ladders only go up four stories at the moment firefighters navigating.

Fire fighter do not like solar panels. In laboratory based fire tests of roof assemblies 1 2 the maximum allowable fire spread is between approximately 20 and 40 ft 2 1 9 and 3 7 m 2 depending on whether an a b or c rating is desired. Much inaccurate information about pv and firefighter safety has been published on the internet recently even to the point of recommendations to let it burn if solar panels are spotted on a roof. The panels themselves are also too fragile for firefighters to walk on nor would they support heavy equipment. Another concern to firefighters is the solar panels themselves.

Wild fires release greenhouse gasses sending soot and other aerosol particles such as carbon into the atmosphere. These particles do not reflect light they absorb light reducing the intensity of sunlight and thus reducing the power generation of a solar panel. Unfortunately solar panels reduce the area available on the roof for vents. Much like the solar thermal panels these panels block access to the roof and are generally tied into the building structure or.

In actual roof fires with roof mounted solar panels fire damage has involved areas of between 1 000 and 183 000 ft 2 93 and 17 000 m 2. The safety of fire fighters and other emergency first responder personnel depends on. Ventilation helps reduce heat prevents fires from spreading and increases visibility. Saying we can t fight a fire because of solar panels is like saying we can t fight a high rise fire because our ladders only go up four stories at the moment firefighters navigating.