Solar panel fires in Northumberland prompt inspections

What happened

A fire at a sports and community centre in June 2024 was followed by a fire at a primary school in July 2024. Both were put down to issues with the solar panels. A Freedom of Information response later found that the issue affected 81 schools, 10 fire stations, 6 leisure facilities and 44 other buildings. Northumberland County Council has since isolated solar systems across its commercial estate and on 40 per cent of 1,200 domestic installations, so those systems are not generating.

An inspection of the domestic and commercial estates is due to run from 2027 to March 2029, as part of a £3.5 million programme over three years. The detailed cause of the panel issues was not reported.

Contributing factors

After investigations of both fires, officials concluded that improvements were required to provide assurance that the estate was being managed in line with current industry best practice. The source does not set out a specific component failure. An earlier inspection, launched after the first fire, covered buildings where panels had been installed before 2019.

Lessons learned

1. Solar panel faults on community buildings can affect many sites, so operators should inspect all installations of similar age after the first fire.
2. Isolation of solar systems prevents further generation while checks continue, and should follow any repeat fire on the estate.
3. Older solar installations need a full portfolio inspection if assurance against current best practice is lacking.

Not yet known

• Detailed cause of the panel issues
• Specific component that failed
• Downtime and cost of isolation and repairs

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Source

chroniclelive.co.uk