A new industry network has been established by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), focusing on the fire safety of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems

Made up of solar PV and component manufacturers, fire experts, and solar safety solution providers, the newly created PV Fire Intelligence Network (PV-FIN) will collaborate to identify the “specific causes and consequences of solar PV-related fires”, with the aim of making solar PV systems safer and offering recommendations and solutions on how to reduce their risk.

As the BRE states: “At present, there is a lack of evidence-based information on how often fires involve solar panel systems, which parts of the system may be responsible, or how these fires typically develop.”

A critical element of the UK’s green transition, the network acknowledges that there is an increasing need for up-to-date and reliable data on the fire risk of these systems to promote their use among homeowners, businesses, and the public sector. The current lack of data has implications, BRE adds, for customer reassurance on the design of PV solar systems and their safe installation.

Through collective research, the new steering group looks to utilise and analyse reliable data sources to identify the causes and frequency of solar PV fires, focusing on three main areas:

  • Collecting reliable data on PV fire incidents across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility installations in the UK.
  • Engaging stakeholders, including fire and rescue services, manufacturers, installers, and researchers, to fill current knowledge gaps.
  • Analysing trends to identify causes and patterns of solar PV fires in the UK.

Commenting on the creation of the industry network, Principal Consultant at BRE, Raman Chagger, said: “Making solar PV systems safer is essential if we are to encourage their adoption and, ultimately, make the successful transition to clean energy.

“We do not know the extent to which fires occur within solar PV systems and how this could have a potential knock-on effect on UK solar deployment.

“With the collective expertise and data-led approach of the group, we will identify potential solutions to this challenge. These could involve updates to public and industry guidance, product improvements, or revised standards and codes, alongside areas for further research in the future.”

Chaired by BRE, leading organisations such as MCS Company, Fire Industry Association, CGM Group UK, Enphase Energy, IMO Precision Controls, PVStop, SolarEdge Technologies, ArcBox (division of Viridian Solar), and Solar Energy UK will contribute to the project. The group aims to deliver its project findings and recommendations within a year.