Are integrated solar tiles / slates safe?

heritageslateBlog

With renewable /sustainable energy products being a strong selling point in today’s construction industry we delve into whether or not the companies producing these products technology is up to standard & coincides with modern safety standards.

Maybe you’ve had concerns about solar panels and any inherent fire hazard they might have. Maybe you haven’t. But the information is important.

There are generally 4 types of fire hazards & concerns around solar tiles:

Concern #1: Solar tiles themselves might cause a fire.

While this fire occurrence is extremely rare, it may happen if there are electric/fire hazards present, or if there is an improper connection in the equipment.

This concern is a good reason for why we often press homeowners to have a professional install their solar panels. Their electricians know how to check for these dangers. And, if something does go wrong, you have a company with insurance to fall back on.

Concern #2: Solar panels will affect ability of fire fighters to fight a fire.

Another concern is how solar panels may affect an unrelated fire in a building. Some worry about how the solar energy system’s layout may affect how well fire fighters are able to control a fire. And they also worry how solar panels might affect a pre-existing fire.

Concern #3: Are fire fighters safe when fighting a fire with solar products involved?

Some are concerned fire fighters are exposed to more risk when fighting a fire with solar products. Since the presence of solar products may influence how fires are fought, building codes and product standards reflect this change to reduce risk.

Concern #4: One in ten owners have replaced their inverter

An inverter converts the direct current (DC) electricity produced by solar panels to alternating current (AC) which can be used in your home.

Solar panels are expected to have at least a 20-year lifespan. But inverters aren’t so long-lasting, so you should bear in mind you’ll probably have to replace it during the lifetime of your solar PV system.

Other problems experienced by fewer than 4% of owners were accidental damage to panels (3%), problems with other parts (2%) and isolator problems (1%).

But 25% of you told us that you’d experienced another type of problem. One of the most commonly reported was birds nesting or shitting on the panels.

Source: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/08/top-five-solar-panel-problems/

It’s always worth having a detailed research before you invest large amounts of money on your home & safety.

Give us a call if you have any Q’s on the above, we’d love to help out!

For a free slate roof quote please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0451-399-226 or shoot us an email kyle@heritageslateroofing.com.au