A curious problem with solar panels
Firefighters do not like them. From
FOX News:
Firefighters alarmed by latest rescue risk: solar panels
Firefighters across the nation are alarmed at the prospect of battling blazes in buildings topped with solar panels, which can create new risks of roofs collapsing, an inability to gain footing and even potential electric shock.
Two recent fires involving structures decked with solar panels have triggered complaints from fire chiefs and calls for new codes and regulations that reflect the dangers posed by the clean-energy devices. A two-alarm fire last week at a home in Piedmont, Calif., prompted Piedmont Fire Chief Warren McLaren to say the technology �absolutely� made it harder on firefighters. Weeks earlier, in Delanco, N.J., more than 7,000 solar panels on the roof of a massive 300,000-square foot warehouse factored into Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt�s refusal to send his firefighters onto the roof of a Dietz & Watson facility.
�We may very well not be able to save buildings that have alternative energy,� New Jersey�s Acting Fire Marshall William Kramer told The Star-Ledger.
Experts told FoxNews.com that the biggest danger posed by the panels is that they continue to send voltage down from the roof throughout the building even after power is shut down. In a conventional building, firefighters typically cut off the electricity leading into the house before entering.
�First of all, solar panels are designed to generate electricity any time there�s light received by the panels, and that happens in low-light settings as well,� said Ken Willette, a spokesman for the National Fire Protection Association. �So inherently, those are charged electrical appliances � there�s a shock hazard.�
I know I keep saying it but Thorium reactors are the way to go -- each year that we do not start an aggressive program to develop them is another year wasted on frivolous spending.
Posted by DaveH at October 2, 2013 1:23 PM