Professional paper
Extinguishing fires in buildings with integrated photovoltaic systems
Marijan Šipuš
; Vatrogasna postrojba grada Siska, Sisak, Hrvatska
Abstract
So far the market of photovoltaic systems has had a significant growth and will most certainly remain so during the following years. Because of these predictions, the industry related to the development and production of solar cells is one of the fastest developing industries and has a promising future. However, the mass implementation of photovoltaic systems resulted in some unexpected problems, typical of rapid development which is too slowly followed by the adjustment of laws, regulations and technical standards which is evident from the recent articles published in media, related to some of the disastrous fires around the globe in outbuildings, warehouses and family homes where all firefighters could do was stand, watch and make sure fire does not spread onto adjacent buildings.
The installation of photovoltaic panels on homes, outbuildings, public facilities etc. carries additional risks which are a novelty even in highly developed countries.
During interventions in buildings with installed photovoltaic systems additional safety measures are required, as opposed to conventional systems of power supply from the public grid. Limited knowledge, or rather the lack of knowledge of the system itself, identifying hazards and inability to use the standard operating procedure of fire brigades during such interventions point to the fact that new knowledge acquisition and familiarizing with the system are necessary in order to recognize the dangers and implement precautionary measures which firefighters will apply during extinguishing fires of photovoltaic systems because those types of hazards are new even in highly developed countries.
A short overview of those hazards as well as protective measures is given with reference to foreign literature.
Keywords
fires photovoltaics; extinguishing fiers; electrical hazard
Hrčak ID:
150851
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2015.
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