Grass fires at Eagle Point solar farm linked to panel failures

What happened

A solar farm at 1035 Highway 234 in Eagle Point, Oregon, had two grass fires in two months, according to Fire District 3 as reported by KDRV. The first, on 31 July 2024, was about seven acres. The second, on 30 September 2024, was three acres. The district said both were caused by overheated electronic panels that failed and dropped molten electronics onto dried grass. The farm operates 33,000 panels.

After the July fire, Soltage, named as the owner of the panels, worked with the district and added fire breaks around the perimeter and inside the array. Fire restrictions had prevented mowing of 115 acres of dried grass. The panels had not been reconnected to the grid and were reported to have been moved as far as possible from dry grass. The district said panels cannot be fully de-energised while the sun is shining, so a further fire remained possible.

Contributing factors

Fire District 3 attributed both fires to overheated electronic panels that failed and dropped molten electronics onto dried grass. A commentator quoted by the news outlet said similar events are often linked to a weak high-current connection, or to external factors such as lightning or animals, but those causes were not reported for these two fires.

Lessons learned

1. Failed solar panels can drop molten electronics onto dry grass, so isolate affected equipment quickly after failure.
2. Illuminated panels cannot be fully de-energised, so fire plans must allow for continued ignition risk.
3. Add fire breaks around and inside solar arrays when dry grass cannot be mown due to restrictions.

Not yet known

• Specific root cause of the panel failures
• Panel model and age
• Cost of damage and mitigation work
• Duration of any downtime

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Source

kdrv.com