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HOT TOPIC
SOLAR SAFETY
RECENT NEWS STORIES ABOUT HOUSE FIRES ORIGINATING
FROM SOLAR PANELS HAVE CAUSED CONSUMERS TO
QUESTION THE SAFETY ASPECT OF SOLAR. PROFESSIONAL
INSTALLATION AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE, HOWEVER,
PRACTICALLY ELIMINATE ANY CONCERNS. IT’S
IMPERATIVE, HOWEVER, THAT YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW
WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO KEEP THEIR SOLAR PANELS
RUNNING SAFELY – AND OPTIMALLY.
t the end of last year, Federal Energy
Minister Angus Taylor caused
something of a solar commotion.
Relaying the findings of a national audit
report into solar panel safety, he told WA
radio station 6PR that “Up to 25% of [solar
panel] installations are faulty in some form
and some of them in a very serious way… It’s
crucial that the states put in place the right
framework, to make sure that we deal with
this issue appropriately and we avoid any
kind of risk to people’s lives.”
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The national audit stated: “From 2011,
when the inspection regime was established,
to mid-August 2018, the annual distribution
of inspection ratings has been generally
consistent for the 24,371 inspections
undertaken — noting that the standards have
become more stringent over time, increasing
the compliance ‘bar’. Between 21.7 and 25.7
per cent of inspected installations were rated
as ‘unsafe’ or ‘sub–standard’ each year, with
the exception of 2012 and 2013 when lesser
proportions — 17.6 and 12.1 per cent,
respectively — were so rated.”
The findings brought into firm focus the
need for solar panels – quite naturally – to be
fitted correctly and maintained appropriately.
Search ‘solar panel fires’ and you’ll find a
number of stories about incorrectly fitted
solar panels starting house fires.
It comes at a time when solar panel
installation is at an all-time high. Australia
leads the world in rooftop solar installations.
At present, one in every five free-standing
homes are powered by solar, and there are
over two million solar installations. Not bad
for a country with a population of 25 million.
And it’s only going to grow, with all
political parties including a solar incentive in
their manifesto for the general election.
SOLAR – NOT A SET AND FORGET
With demand increasing by the year, it’s an
opportune time to be talking to customers
about the benefits of solar. And the need to
get a pro to do the install and set up.
And while solar panels don’t need a whole
lot of maintenance, it’s certainly not a
set-and-forget.
Renate Egan is the chair of the Australian
PV Institute, and she says, “Remember, solar
is a system, which includes panels, inverters,
wiring, DC isolators and, increasingly,
batteries. The panels are not usually the
problem. Failure points are first DC isolators,
then inverters.”
She says that, as long as the solar panels
have been correctly installed, low-level
maintenance should suffice to keep them
working optimally. Make sure your clients
are aware of the need to maintain and
encourage them to get a professional to do so.
“With no moving parts, solar does not need
much maintenance. If leaf litter can
accumulate under the panel, then this should
be addressed – it would be sensible to do this
at the same time as gutters are cleaned.
“In most parts of Australia, rain is sufficient
to keep panels clean. However, if the system is
subject to significant bird droppings, the
panels should be cleaned.
“Shading will also lead to
underperformance, so trimming trees is
helpful where possible, and certainly
maintenance should keep ivy and similar
climbers away from the panels.
“The collection of leaf litter under the
panels, or water in the DC isolator box can
cause electrical faults.”
Most solar panels, says Egan, have 20- to
30-year warranties, depending on their
manufacturer. Faults, of course, can occur
– and it’s important to be aware that some
parts will need to be replaced earlier.
“A solar installation has panels, wiring, DC
isolator and an inverter,” says Egan. “The
panels are pretty safe themselves provided
they are correctly installed – no worse than
any other household appliance.
“The most common point of failure is the
DC isolator. While panels have a 20-plus year
warranty, the inverters can be expected to last
about seven to ten years, and will need to be
replaced at least once in the system life.”
Naturally, customers are also keen to keep
track of how their solar panels are performing.
“There are some really good, cost-effective
solutions for remote system monitoring now,”
says Egan. “All new solutions should include
active monitoring of output, giving the owner
peace of mind that their system is performing
well and safely.”
WORKING WITH SOLAR
FOR THOSE WORKING WITH SOLAR, THE CLEAN ENERGY REGULATOR
SPECIFIES THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS.
Before designing or
installing a small-scale
renewable energy
system, you must:
hold AU$5m in public
liability insurance
be accredited by the
Clean Energy Council to
design and install
small-scale renewable
energy systems eligible
under the scheme
hold an unrestricted
electrical licence issued
by the State or Territory
authority for the place
where the unit is going to
be installed
ensure the components
to be installed as part of
the system are listed on
the Clean Energy Council
list of approved products,
including:
• AS/NZS 5033 Compliant
PV Modules, and
tested and approved
grid-connected inverters
(which includes off-grid
inverters).
During the installation
you must:
ensure you comply with
the Clean Energy Council
code of conduct for
installations
ensure the installation
complies with the Clean
Energy Council design
and install guidelines
ensure the installation
complies with the
following standards,
where applicable:
• AS/NZS 5033,
Installation and safety
requirements for
photovoltaic (PV) arrays
AS/NZS 1170.2, Structural
design actions, Part 2:
Wind actions
• AS/NZS 4509.1,
Stand-alone power
systems, Part 1: Safety
and installation
• AS 4086.2, Secondary
batteries for use with
stand-alone power
systems, Part 2:
Installation and
maintenance
• AS/NZS 3000, Wiring
Rules
• AS/NZS 1768, Lightning
protection, and
• AS 4777, Grid
connection of energy
systems via inverters.
IMPROVING PV PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY
To get a thorough understanding and
to push for the continual improvement
of PV systems across Australia, the APVI
has an online system for anyone who
owns, operates, installs or inspects a PV
system and/or has detected a fault/
problem with whole or part of the
system. This ‘PV Module and System Fault
Reporting Portal’ has been developed
to increase the understanding of the PV
industry about the types of problems
that are found with different system
components when they are exposed to
the Australian environment.
Visit apvi.org.au/climate-based-pv-
performance-and-reliability/
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