As more UK businesses look to solar energy to help them meet their carbon reduction goals and cut energy costs, safety is coming under increasing scrutiny. Here, Christelle Barnes, UK Country Manager of SolarEdge Technologies, explains what businesses need to know to safeguard both their people and property when investing in solar.
As solar technology becomes more advanced and widely adopted, its role in the UK energy mix continues to grow. But greater complexity also brings new safety considerations. Understanding and managing these risks is essential to protecting people, property and energy infrastructure, and ensuring that solar remains a trusted and safe part of our energy future.
Best practice
With millions of systems installed worldwide, solar PV is proven to be a safe, reliable technology that does not inherently pose a risk to people or property. Commercial infrastructure fires can be caused by many things, including electrical malfunctions in heating systems, factory machinery or even lightning. While fires stemming from solar PV systems are rare, it is important to thoroughly evaluate the safety of any existing or planned installations, particularly when selecting or upgrading system components.
When a building fire is found to originate from a solar PV system, causes may include installation error or improper maintenance, particularly involving connector wear and tear. These errors may not cause a problem initially, but over time they can potentially lead to electrical faults, which, if not caught, can develop into something more serious. Fortunately, advances in solar system technology now enable effective detection and prevention of overheating at the connector level.
Even when installations are carried out flawlessly, external factors beyond anyone’s control, such as an animal chewing through a cable, can introduce faults. It is at this point that component selection becomes key.
Safety starts at the panel level
Understanding solar safety starts with the system itself. PV panels generate direct current (DC) electricity, while inverters convert it into the alternating current (AC) used by homes and businesses. As long as the sun is shining, panels and cables remain energised with high DC voltages, even if the main circuit breaker is shut off. In the event of a fire, firefighters typically disconnect the grid supply before intervening. They assume there is no risk of electrocution once the grid has been disconnected. However, this is not the case with a typical PV roof system, as the system is creating its own electricity independent of the grid.
Traditional string inverters do not necessarily reduce this DC voltage when switched off, meaning additional safety hardware may be required, adding installation cost and labour.
Due to this and other limitations, there has been a notable shift towards more advanced DC-optimised systems. These systems split the functionality of a traditional string inverter and use power optimisers placed directly onto panels to monitor performance in real-time. These enable greater design flexibility, higher energy production and feature embedded safety functionality, capable of identifying and mitigating faults at individual panels.
There are two particular safety features to look out for when choosing an inverter. The first is SafeDC, a module-level safeguard that automatically reduces array voltage to touch-safe level, helping provide safer roof access for firefighters and maintenance teams.
The second is arc fault detection and prevention. Although rare, issues such as loose connections can cause abnormal heat build-up which, if undetected, can cause arc faults. Advanced DC-optimised systems can detect this early, identify the source and isolate the affected area before the fault escalates.
Putting safety first
As solar adoption grows, safety must remain central to system design and technology selection. By choosing solutions with built-in safeguards that can detect and mitigate risks at panel level, businesses can better protect people and property while supporting the long-term performance of their solar investment.
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