Danger for inverters and solar in South Africa

[Nat Quinn]

Danger for inverters and solar in South Africa

Although backup power systems are experiencing a boom in South Africa amid the nation’s energy crisis, they are potentially hazardous.

Several experts have said that solar power installations at homes and commercial properties have risen quickly over the last six months as load shedding worsened, with installers experiencing something akin to a gold rush.

Nedbank, for example, has financed over R1.2 billion of private power generation for businesses and private residences and has arranged several transactions in the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) worth R26 billion.

Despite the enthusiasm for new power solutions, they do come with several risks.

For instance, as reported by MyBroadband, on Sunday, 9 July, Vodacom’s Cape Town headquarters in Century City caught fire, with several images and videos online showing the company’s solar panels on fire.

Vodacom and Jermaine Carelse, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesperson, said that the exact source of the fire is yet to be confirmed.

However, just a few days prior to the Vodacom Fire, the City of Cape Town said that there had been an increase in the number of emergencies caused by backup power solutions.

Some of the incidents that the city has recently seen include:

• The batteries on an inverter in a store situated in a mall ignited, resulting in the mall having to close its doors while the incident was attended to.

• Solar panels on the roof of a factory caused the wires to arc, resulting in a fire. Firefighters had to wait for technicians to isolate the panels first before they could extinguish the fire.

• A firefighter was called on to extinguish a fire at a neighbouring property, after a battery bank overheated due to insufficient ventilation.

• A fire on a truck transporting a load of lithium-ion batteries. Firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the trailer, avoiding a major hazard.

• Four persons were overcome by fumes from a generator in Parow. One passed away.

“The city appreciates that residents want to protect themselves from the impacts of load shedding, and many households and businesses nowadays are using various alternative power sources,” it said

“However, the handful of incidents that we have on file are more than enough evidence that we all need to be incredibly cautious and vigilant about how we use and store these energy devices.”

What can residents do

Should a backup power solution catch on fire, Carelse told Cape Talk that residents should first isolate the power before phoning the emergency services.

He also said that residents should invest in a dry chemical powder fire extinguisher, as it is easy to clean after extinguishing a fire.

A CO2 extinguisher will add water to the system, which will cause other electrical problems.

The city added that ventilation is also crucial, especially for generators.

“Ventilation is a key consideration because of the risk of noxious gases from the use of petrol or diesel, but there is also the very real risk of devices overheating and catching fire,” it said.

 

SOURCE:Danger for inverters and solar in South Africa – BusinessTech

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