On 17 February, ABC’s Lateline program reported that a sample inspection of rooftop systems last year found that 2,000 homes, or three per cent of all installations, could be at risk of electrical fires from poorly installed roof-top solar panels. This was on top of claims that the industry was only represented by three dedicated national inspectors for checking installations.
In response to the report, the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) said that the claims should be put into context.
“[The Federal Government’s Solar Credits Scheme] has been enormously successful by any measure. What we are looking at are a handful of rogue installers who have failed to meet stringent installation standards, put in place by the Government to safeguard against this very thing,” said Chief Executive of AuSES John Grimes.
Mr Grimes said that an issue had been raised by the photovoltaic (PV) solar installer’s accreditation agency, the Clean Energy Council (CEC), and Standards Australia: that AC breakers had been installed on the DC side of solar systems.
Article continues below…“While this could potentially create a fire danger, doing this is completely against the standards.
“This problem was detected over six months ago in a small number of inspections, and active steps were put in place to fix this potential problem as soon as it came to light.”
Mr Grimes added that Australia has led the world in PV installation accreditation standards, and its inspection regime successfully identified the problem before any incident occurred. He also said that installing panels that did not meet Australian Standards, and certifying them as such, was effectively committing fraud.
CEC Chief Executive Matthew Warren dismissed the claims, saying that the industry had received no reports of any house fires.
“We take safety seriously. The safety record of the solar industry is good. To put this in perspective there are more than 10,000 house fires every year, most of which are caused by faulty wiring or appliances – not solar panels,” Mr Warren said.
“All solar panels receiving government support must be installed by an accredited installer. The panels must comply with the Australian standard. All houses connecting solar panels back to the grid must also be installed by a licensed electrician.”
Mr Warren said that the CEC would continue to work with Federal and State Governments to ensure high standards of installations.
It was also suggested on Lateline that faulty or counterfeit foreign imports to the Australian PV market also posed a fire danger risk.
The story follows the establishment of safety inspections for the Federal Government’s Home Insulation Program, as well as an inquiry into the Green Loans Program.
