Suffolk County Council has ordered the temporary shutdown of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across approximately 80 schools following a series of fires in buildings with solar panels
The decision follows a fire at Sidegate Primary School in Ipswich on Wednesday 8 July, alongside two earlier incidents at Brooklands Primary in Brantham in March and East Bergholt Primary in August 2025. While no conclusive causal link has been established, solar installations were identified as a potential factor in each case, prompting urgent precautionary action.
In a statement, the council said: “In response to this incident and following two other fires in school buildings where solar panels have been identified as a potential factor, the council has taken the decision to temporarily switch off all solar panel systems installed in identified schools between 2011 and 2016.”
The affected systems were installed under a county-wide programme, and engineers are being deployed to isolate installations across all identified sites. The council indicated that the process would be completed within a fortnight while further investigations continue.
Despite the precautionary measure, a spokesperson for the authority emphasised that “currently there is no firm evidence that the three school fires were caused by the same issue and there is no conclusive evidence linking the fires.”
Emergency services confirmed that one of the incidents was directly associated with rooftop solar infrastructure. Suffolk Fire and Rescue said it had “confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the cause was a solar panel on the roof” at Sidegate Primary, where approximately 100 staff and 650 pupils were safely evacuated.
The move has been welcomed by some stakeholders, though concerns have been raised about the timeliness of the response. The National Education Union (NEU) Eastern Region described the situation as a serious safety issue and called for an independent review. NEU Suffolk joint branch secretary Wendy James said it was “deeply troubling that no decisive action was taken until after a third fire occurred in a fully occupied school”.
Council officials have defended their approach, stressing that safety remains the overriding priority. Sarah-Jane Smedmor, executive director of children and young people, said: “We cannot take the risk that those incidents were unrelated or coincidental – we must act with precaution to eliminate any potential fire risks,” adding that the action was “about ensuring that our children and young people and staff remain safe”.
Industry experts have also suggested that the issue may lie not with the panels themselves but with associated electrical components. Speaking to BBC News, energy expert Tony Slade stated it was unlikely that the panels were the direct ignition source, noting they are “mostly made of glass”. He explained: “solar panel fires would more likely be caused by incorrectly sized or damaged wiring or the device that makes the power generated by the panels usable.”
Slade added that while high ambient temperatures may place additional stress on systems, most installations “should have an ambient air temperature rating normally greatly in excess of expected”.
He concluded: “Until the cause of the fires is established, the council's move is sensible… this is not a renewable energy problem, but potentially one of electrical system specification, installation and maintenance.”
 
 
 
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