Germany has more than 1.5 million PV generators, and the number of house fires caused by them can be counted on the fingers of two hands. Nevertheless of the statistics, the solar generator needs to be protected in case of fire in the house, because once the fire brigade arrives at a burning building, the first thing they do is take it off the power grid.
That avoids water coming into contact with electrically conductive systems and harming fire fighters. If the sun is shining, the solar generator keeps producing electricity, even if the building has been taken off the grid and the inverter down in the cellar or in the maintenance room has switched off.
Install a disconnector within easy reach
For that reason, it is important that the solar installation also has a disconnect switch in case of fire. This should be well-marked right next to the main metre and also easily accessible. Even better are systems that switch off automatically. This can be done using special DC-to-DC converters. They sever the connection to the solar panel in case the inverter indicates a power failure.
Also take solar batteries offline!
More and more private residences use solar battery systems for storing solar energy. Just like the solar installation, the battery also keeps pumping electricity into the house, regardless if the sun shines or not.
Either the battery needs to have an emergency off-switch connected to the inverter, or fire fighters need to be able to switch it off in some other way to avoid harm to personnel from voltage and currents coming from the battery.
Get insurance for both storage units and solar generators!
It is essential to have your solar generator and storage unit insured. It usually is not covered by the regular building insurance. Some insurance companies are already well-versed in this area and offer so-called all-risk policies for solar generators.
Based on their experience and expertise, some certified installation companies can negotiate favourable conditions. In any case, insurance for an installation should always be factored into your profitability analysis, along with lightning and fire protection as well as regular maintenance and cleaning. (HS)
Learn more:
Solar advice: Read the small prints carefully!
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