UK-based construction consultant, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Group, has launched a network to “analyze the fire safety of solar PV systems” to improve the safety performance of solar projects.
The PV Fire Intelligence Network (PV-FIN) will be chaired by BRE and will comprise a number of solar industry players – including SolarEdge, Viridian Solar subsidiary ArcBox and Solar Energy UK – and safety experts, including the Fire Industry Association. The network will collaborate in three key areas: collecting data on sunburn incidents across sectors; analyzing trends to find causes and patterns of fires caused by solar energy systems in Britain; and working with stakeholders, such as fire and rescue services and equipment manufacturers, to “fill current knowledge gaps.”
“Making solar PV systems safer is essential if we are to encourage their adoption and ultimately make the successful transition to clean energy,” said BRE principal advisor Raman Chagger. “We don’t know the extent to which fires occur in solar PV systems and how this could have a potential knock-on effect on UK solar deployment.”
According to insurer QBE, fire has become an increasing risk in the British solar sector. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of fire incidents involving a solar panel in the fire service increased from 107 to 171. Although this is a small growth compared to the more than 300,000 new solar panels that were added between these years, according to government figures, the 59.8% growth in fire incidents between 2022 and 2024 is cause for concern.
Earlier this year, a fire broke out at the 23MW Cirencester Hybrid Solar Farm, which is located next to a 51MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). This fire was attributed to the origin of a fire in an electrical installation of the project.
Meanwhile, Australia’s 425 MW Wellington North solar project saw 10% of its production suspended due to a fire. While this incident has been attributed to a combination of high temperatures and high winds, rather than a fault with the solar project itself, the presence of fire at one of Australia’s largest solar projects is an example of the fire risks posed by new industrial developments.
While fire safety has not historically been a major concern for the global solar industry, it has emerged as a risk for BESS developers and asset managers. Earlier this year, a fire broke out at an under-construction BESS project in Essexwhich was contained within 24 hours, and the global battery sector has long invested in robust fire safety protocols and processes to limit the impact of fire on BESS projects.
In November, Chinese company Sungrow became the first to test its batteries through the UL9540B Large-Scale Fire Testing (LSFT) procedureAnd given the increasing prevalence of co-located solar and storage projects in Britain, more completed fire safety work in the battery sector could help set a precedent for the solar industry.
