Unintended consequences - solar panels
They are a risk to firefighters -- from Delanco, New Jersey's
The Star-Ledger:
Dietz & Watson warehouse blaze: solar panels hampered firefighting, officials say
More than 7,000 solar panels on the roof of a burning warehouse in Burlington County proved too much of a hazard for firefighters, local officials said today.
"We may very well not be able to save buildings that have alternative energy," William Kramer, New Jersey�s acting fire marshall, said after Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt refused to send his firefighters onto the roof of the 300,000-square foot Dietz & Watson facility, ablaze since Sunday afternoon.
Solar panels are particularly hazardous to firefighters for a number of reasons, according to Ken Willette, a division manager with the National Fire Protection Association.
"There is a possibility of electric shock because the electricity to the panels can�t be shut off," he said, "and not having a clear path on the roof to cut a ventilation hole is another challenge."
Essentially, solar panels, comprised of photoelectric cells, generate electricity from solar radiation, and any kind of light at all, said Willette, will activate the panels, including "streetlights, floodlights, even firefighters� flashlights. Those panels are extremely efficient."
The voltages are not high enough to be a casual electrocution hazard but they are high enough - and with enough amps behind them - to be a major arc and welding issue (about 40 volts DC with 60-120 amps). Starting new fires, damaging firefighting equipment, causing major burns.
And then, you have the storage batteries -- hydrogen gas (Hindenburg anyone?) as well as corrosive sulphuric acid.
The first rule of any rescue group is to keep yourself safe. All else is secondary.
Posted by DaveH at September 3, 2013 10:21 PM