Solar Panel Fire Risks - Prof. Richard Wells On #DailyDateWithChristie

The HQ of Vodacom in Cape Town experienced a fire incident, with the fire apparently starting in the solar panels – according to news reports. Recent research has highlighted that solar panels can pose a risk, and red flags have been raised in the fire engineering industry. The number of incidents in South Africa appears to be relatively low, but as installers race to place power generating panels on roofs across the country, due to loadshedding, the associated fire risk could be increasing. Some concerns include poor installation, short circuits, fire spread between roofs sheets and panels, materials of solar panels being combustible and associated lithium-ion batteries experiencing thermal runaway(uncontrolled burning). Christie was joined by Prof. Richard Wells, Professor in Structural and Fire Engineering and an expert in fire safety at Stellenbosch University to discuss these concerns. 📻 93.6fm | 💻 helderbergfm.co.za | 📱 WhatsApp 021 100 6936