Solar Panel Fires and Electrical Hazards
Welcome to this topic, in which we will learn about a set of information about the causes of burning solar panels and
how to avoid a fire in the solar energy system in general, Before proceeding with the explanation, let us give a simplified definition about solar panels and what they consist of so that we can simplify why a fire occurs in solar panels.
Solar panels :
Solar panels are a panel that is often rectangular in shape consisting of several solar cells connected in series and in parallel, and it allows the generation of electricity by sunlight, and it comes in several sizes, types and various voltages according to use, and there are three basic types For solar panels, they are thin film and poly-cristallin, and the last type is Mono-cristallin.
Through this definition, we conclude that the panels are multiple cells and not just one, and this in itself occurs a problem when a cell of the solar panels is damaged or even covered with dust. This causes a potential difference between the other cells, which is not equal to the group of other cells. Which were installed in parallel, which causes great heat in the cells, which leads to a fire.
The main causes of burning solar panels:
In this paragraph, I have summarized for you the three main reasons that lead to a fire in solar panels or solar energy systems in general:
First: Insulation fault:
Such as the presence of wounds between two wires or the occurrence of contact between the wires or even the corrosion of the wires, and this is due to two reasons, the lack of adequate maintenance of the solar energy system, and the second reason is the poor quality of electrical wires manufacture,
Second: unequal potential difference in cells:
This is considered the most important cause that leads to the outbreak of fires, and we discussed it at the beginning of the topic, and it occurs when the open-circuit voltage of one of the strings is significantly different from the open-circuit voltage of the rest of the parallel strings that are connected to the same inverter and regulator. So that this leads to the passage of current from the sound arrays to the one in which there is weakness, instead of checking into the regulator.
Third: reverse current:
And it, in turn, can lead to a dangerous rise in temperatures and cause fires in the solar array, and the reason for this is in the second reason, and for this you should be careful to buy licensed solar panels and avoid fraudulent panels that are cheap because of their poor quality. This happens due to a short circuit in the solar system, or due to improper connections.
Fourth: Overloading electrical wires:
This is due to the failure to choose the thickness of a wire suitable for the solar system, which makes the wire heat up and ignite a fire due to the high current that passes through it and the wire section does not bear this current, and for this we always recommend calculating the appropriate electrical wire and cable section according to the solar system,
Why is the thickness and section of electrical wires in solar systems so large?
The answer is simply that now the voltage is often low, about 12 volts or 24 volts, and because we need a high capacity to operate motors, pumps, devices, and other things, we nod the voltage with a current so that when we convert the voltage from 12 volts continuous to 220 volts alternating, it is with an appropriate current,. That is, we sacrifice current in order to raise the voltage, and there is a relationship to the calculation of this with Ohm's law.
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