PV Systems and Fire

safety in Germany

Säkerhetsaspekter i solenergianläggningar
Karlstad, 2018-10-22

Marco Hernandez Velasco

 PV fire incidents collection for 10 years
(until December 2012)
Around 190 000 fire fighting missions each year
(Deutscher Feuerwehrverband)
In this period, 350 fires reported, where PV systems had been
affected
• in some 130 cases fires are attributed to PV systems
• (some more 50 cases of heat damage to components)
• in some 220 cases PV systems were damaged by a building fire

PV-Brandschutz Webseite und Leitfaden/Kochbuch “Bewertung des Brandrisikos in PV

Anlagen” www.pv-brandsicherheit.de
 PV fire incidents collection for 10 years
(until December 2012)

Location of incident –
source of damage

Main root cause

PV-Brandschutz Webseite und Leitfaden/Kochbuch “Bewertung des Brandrisikos in PV

Anlagen” www.pv-brandsicherheit.de
 PV fire incidents collection for 10 years
(until December 2012)
Cases of damaged buildings (63 cases)
• Stand-off systems protected by “hard” tiles (tiles)
• Building integrated systems (BIPV) exposed to fire hazard
above average:
• 1% of the systems but 20% of the damages

Stand-off BIPV Flat-roof

60% 21% 19%

PV-Brandschutz Webseite und Leitfaden/Kochbuch “Bewertung des Brandrisikos in PV

Anlagen” www.pv-brandsicherheit.de
 PV fire incidents collection for 10 years
(until December 2012)
• Most incidents occurred during installation of first year of
operation
• Probably many installation flaws
• Large fraction of electrical defects sparking a fire in general
(not only PV) is to be attributed to failing electrical
connections  poor contacts are predominant cause of fire!

PV-Brandschutz Webseite und Leitfaden/Kochbuch “Bewertung des Brandrisikos in PV

Anlagen” www.pv-brandsicherheit.de
 Fires in Photovoltaic Systems: Lessons Learned
from Fire Investigations in Italy

New PV-installations

Fiorentini, Luca, et al. "Issue 99: Fires in Photovoltaic Systems: Lessons Learned from Fire
Investigations in Italy." SFPE emerging TRENDS enewsletter (2015).
 Fires in Photovoltaic Systems: Lessons Learned
from Fire Investigations in Italy
Beware of too fast market growth!

New PV-installations
Fires involving a PV-installations
Fiorentini, Luca, et al. "Issue 99: Fires in Photovoltaic Systems: Lessons Learned from Fire
Investigations in Italy." SFPE emerging TRENDS enewsletter (2015).
Fire of PV systems
• An undamaged PV-installation
that was properly planned and
maintained does not increase the
fire risk more than any other
electrical installation.
Fire safety concept – 4 basic rules
1. Preventing the onset of fire
2. Structural protection – preventing the spread
of fire within the building and to neighboring
buildings
3. Allow the rescue of people and animals
• Information and signs for fire fighters.
• Protection from exposed voltages in the
building
4. External access for the rescue and fire brigade
1. Preventing the onset of fire
• PV modules
• Plan and build according to DIN VDE 0100-712
• Avoid big induction loops
• Consider wind and snow loads (and other loads) that
can move the panels and set tension on the cables and
connectors
• Maintain and update lightning protection
• Do not over-build!
1. Preventing the onset of fire
• Inverters and combiner boxes
• Do not install directly on flammable walls (e.g. wood)
Metal plate over wood is not acceptable!

 use e.g. a Calcium silicate plate of 15mm thick

between the inverter and the flammable wall; keeping a
circumferential clearance of at least 10cm around

• Keep the immediate area clear of flammable materials

• Avoid highly dusty places that can affect the ventilation
system
• Highly flammable materials must not be present in the
room.
1. Preventing the onset of fire
• Inverters and combiner boxes
• Enough space around for ventilation (follow
manufacturers guidelines and Vds 3145)
• Installation in the stairs and exit area of a single and
two-family homes is to be avoided
• Unprotected installation in stairwells of apartment
buildings and auxiliary buildings is not permissible
1. Preventing the onset of fire
• DC-cables
• Avoid damage during installation
• Keep bending radius
• Use proper DC cables for PV-installations
(UV and weather resistant  no cable is UV proof!!)
• Cables should not be on the floor (water and snow)
• Problems with Aluminum cables (crimping)
1. Preventing the onset of fire
• Connectors and switches
• Use adequate DC-switches
• Improper crimping or connection
(lack of tool)
• Avoid too much tension on the connector
• Avoid mixed and incompatible connectors
2. Structural fire protection
• The function of firewalls and building separation
walls must not be diminished
2. Structural fire protection
• Requirements form the building regulations: Characteristics of the
“hard roof” (important for building integrated PV BIPV).
• As well as the use of materials with a classification of at least
building material class B” “normal flammability” according to DIN
4102
• Spacing of roof structures to firewalls depends on their fire
behavior
• Flammable materials should not bridge this areas
2. Structural fire protection
VdS 2234:2012 - Firewalls And Complex Partition
Walls
2. Structural fire protection
VdS 2234:2012 - Firewalls And Complex Partition
Walls
2. Structural fire protection
VdS 2234:2012 - Firewalls And Complex Partition
Walls
2. Structural fire protection
VdS 2234:2012 - Firewalls And Complex Partition
Walls
• It should have at least the same fire-resistance class
• Should be weather and UV-resistant
2. Structural fire protection
VdS 2234:2012 & MLAR
• Sealing of fire walls penetrations after cable installations
2. Structural fire protection
VdS 2234:2012 & MLAR
• Max 60% of the channel should
be filled with the cable bund
• The rest has to be re-sealed to
at least the same fire-
resistance class

Fire could spread due to

the oxygen in the gaps
2. Structural fire protection
• Do not cover heat and smoke vents
• Enough space should be left for maintenance and use in
case of fire
• Important to take into account since the planning
 3. Protection from exposed voltages in the
building
Organizational measures
• Warning sign in the house junction box
• Cabling plan for the fire brigade
• Update of the fire fighting plan
and construction measures or technical measures
• Installation of DC-cables in fire- • Low voltage installation
resistant ducts/channels (<120 V, very unrealistic with PV)
• Installation of DC-cables outside • DC isolation switch:
of the building (leaving only AC • Long-term reliability
lines inside the building) • Fail-safe behavior
• Inverter and junction box outside • Secured against restarting
of building or right at the • Actuator on the house connection
entrance (IP class, • Identification of
weather/UV/direct sun protection the switch and its state
• Risk of false “sense of safety”
3. Protection from exposed voltages in the
building
3. Protection from exposed voltages in the
building
• Non-disconnectable
DC-lines within a
building longer than
1m should be
installed within fire
protection channel
4. External access for the fire brigade
Emergency workers must have access to fire source
• Inside attack: Protection against exposed conductors inside
the building
• Outside attack: Access to roof
• Escape routes
• serve primarily as possibilities of escape and rescue
• serve additionally as access routes for emergency workers
• Observe minimum requirements for access and
clearance
• Allow 1 meter safety clearance from electrically conductive
components (in accordance with DIN VDE 0132)
• e.g. size of "fire escape window": clearance width 90 cm and
clearance height 120 cm
4. External access for the fire brigade
4. External access for the fire brigade
4. External access for the fire brigade
• For larger flat roofs, there should be an access
point for each fire compartment (usually 40x40m)
around the PV-generators. Route passage widths
should not be narrower than 1m.
 Jet pipe clearance (DIN 14365-CM)

PV-Brandschutz Webseite und Leitfaden/Kochbuch “Bewertung des Brandrisikos in PV

Anlagen” www.pv-brandsicherheit.de
 Thank you for your attention!
Sources:
• PV-Brandschutz Webseite und Leitfaden/Kochbuch “Bewertung des Brandrisikos in PV Anlagen”
www.pv-brandsicherheit.de
• DGS Leitfaden: http://www.dgs.de/fileadmin/bilder/Dokumente/PV-Brandschutz_DRUCK_24_02_2011.pdf
• BSW Merkblatt für Planer und Installateure “Lichtbogenrisiken an PV Anlagen reduzieren”
www.solarwirtschaft.de
• VdS 3145 – Photovoltaikanlagen
• VdS 2234 - Brand- und Komplextrennwände, Merkblatt für die Anordnung und Ausführung
• VDE-AR-E 2100-712:2013-05 Measures for the DC range of a PV installation for the maintenance of safety
in the case of firefighting or technical assistance
• DIN 4102
• § 30 MBO (Musterbauordnung) – Brandwände
• § 30 MBO (Musterbauordnung) – Dächer
• Muster-Leitungsanlagen-Richtlinie (MLAR)

Contact:
Marco Hernandez Velasco
PhD candidate
Certified Expert for Photovoltaic Equipment (TÜV)

[email protected]