Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

Fire hazards from malfunctioning electrical infrastructure are a serious risk, especially in systems that generate, store, or distribute energy. These hazards can arise from renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind farms, energy storage systems such as lithium-ion batteries, and monitoring tools like smart meters.

Power Lines and Wildfires: A Growing Concern

Damaged electrical powerline infrastructure poses a significant fire risk. When these components fail, the consequences can be severe.

Fire Risks in Renewable Energy Systems

•Can Solar Panels Catch Fire?

While fires caused by faulty solar installations are relatively uncommon when systems are properly installed and maintained, they can still occur. Some common causes include improper wiring, faulty or substandard components, inverter malfunctions, overloading circuits, and DC arc faults. Hot spots on solar panels and inadequate grounding can also increase fire risk. Environmental factors such as rodent damage, debris accumulation, and extreme weather further contribute to potential hazards. Proper grounding is essential for solar panel safety.

• Why Do Lithium-Ion Batteries Overheat?

Lithium-ion batteries used in solar energy storage systems are generally safe but can pose fire risks if not properly installed or managed. Factors such as thermal runaway, physical damage, electrical short circuits, overcharging, inadequate ventilation, and the use of low-quality batteries can lead to overheating and fires. High-risk scenarios include improper installation, system overloading, and aging batteries prone to failure. Reports of residential and utility-scale battery fires highlight the importance of rigorous safety protocols in these systems. Recent incidents and safety concerns regarding lithium-ion batteries highlight the importance of safety as highlighted in this article.

• Wind Turbines and Fire: Risks & Prevention

Wind farms with malfunctioning equipment can also pose fire risks due to overheating components, electrical faults, gearbox failures, lightning strikes, and combustible turbine materials. If energy storage systems, such as lithium-ion batteries, are integrated into wind farms, they bring additional fire hazards that require proper maintenance and monitoring. Implementing fire detection and suppression systems is crucial in mitigating these risks. The Scroby Sands Incident and its lessons about wind turbine fires.

• Are Smart Meters a Fire Risk?

Although rare, electrical smart meters have been linked to fires due to improper installation, defective equipment, overloaded circuits, and environmental damage. Power surges, in particular, pose a risk by stressing electrical components beyond their capacity, potentially causing overheating, arcing, or circuit board damage. Mitigation strategies include professional installation, regular inspections, and surge protection devices.

In 2014, the Saskatchewan government ordered its power utility SaskPower to remove 105,000 so-called smart meters installed at homes and businesses across the province, following concerns about eight unexplained fires associated with the units. Read more about the incident here.

How Malfunctioning Electrical Infrastructure Could Lead to Fire Hazards

Photo by Andrey Metelev on Unsplash

Power Lines and Wildfires: A Growing Concern

In the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, speculation has arisen regarding whether a high-voltage transmission tower sparked the deadly Eaton Fire. Reports indicate a temporary surge in electrical current in the area before the fire started, possibly due to a “fault” on a line elsewhere in the region’s transmission network. Southern California Edison (SCE) has reported equipment issues near the fire’s origin, though the official cause remains under investigation (NBC News). A lawsuit has also surfaced, citing video evidence of sparks in the area (CNN).

2017 CA Fire

Edison is also under scrutiny regarding the destructive 2017 CA Fire, in which witnesses reported a snapped line on a high-voltage transmission tower. While Edison initially denied involvement, federal investigations suggest the utility may have suppressed evidence related to the fire (Fire Engineering).

How to Prevent Electrical Fires in Energy Systems

As renewable energy systems continue to expand, addressing these fire hazards is critical. Implementing stringent safety protocols, regular maintenance, and the use of high-quality components can significantly reduce risks. Proper grounding, installation, and environmental protection measures can enhance the safety and reliability of energy systems, ultimately preventing electrical fires and their devastating consequences.

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The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has received dozens of  reports of vandalism of communications infrastructure across the country, noting that as the riots rage on, 113 towers have been damaged, and many community radio stations have been looted.

“Such wanton destruction of the broadcasting infrastructure and facilities represents a direct attack on the constitutional right of individuals and communities to access news and information that is accurate, unbiased and up-to-date about the current crisis,” ICASA said in a statement.

US-based American Tower Corporation (ATC) and SBA Communications’ (SBA) structures are potential targets for arsonists and ICASA Chairman Keabetswe Modimoeng warned that “Any disruption of communication services could prove disastrous and result in increased mortality as emergency calls may be directly impacted.”

He said he expects the number of towers that have been vandalized to increase as the country tries to stop the growing number of looters and arsonists.

“We call on the communities to assist in guarding and protecting this critical infrastructure and to exercise the highest levels of patriotism in this regard,” said Modimoeng.

South Africa has approximately 26,000 towers, with ATC owning about 2,300 towers, according to its website.

SBA has approximately 1,200 sites, the majority of which were acquired in October 2019, with the purchase of 900 sites from Atlas Tower South Africa that had a substantial backlog of new builds.

“It is catastrophic sprees of unrest such as the one ongoing that developing countries struggle to ever recover from, with damaged infrastructure simply left as is without funds or manpower available for repairs,” ICASA said.

The country’s three major towercos are Vodacom, Gyro Group and MTN Group.

MTN is seeking to sell its towers and the company has received requests from 20 towercos and investment firms to provide a leaseback offer. MTN said it is looking to conclude the sale during the third quarter of 2021.

It is not known if the current unrest in the country will lower the estimated $500 to $700 million for the company’s towers, understood to total about 6,000.

The post American Tower and SBA Communications exposed to sabotage during South Africa riots appeared first on EMFSA.

13 July 2021

Pretoria – The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA/the Authority) unreservedly condemns the ongoing acts of violence, looting and arson currently taking place in the country, which have resulted in the disruption of communication services, closure of some community radio stations and vandalism of network facilities.

The affected community radio stations, whose equipment has been reported damaged or looted, include Alex FM, Ntokozo FM, Mams FM and Westside FM, to name but a few.

The Authority has further received reports of vandalism of communications infrastructure, including 113 network towers in some parts of the country. Such wanton destruction of the broadcasting infrastructure and facilities represents a direct attack on the constitutional right of individuals and communities to access news and information that is accurate, unbiased and up-to-date about the current crisis. The Authority accordingly condemns such criminal behaviour in the strongest of terms.

“We call on the communities to assist in guarding and protecting this critical infrastructure, and to exercise the highest levels of patriotism in this regard. Any disruption of communication services could prove disastrous and result in increased mortality as emergency calls may be directly impacted,” says ICASA Chairperson, Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng.

Dr Modimoeng further states that ICASA has written to the National Joints Operations and Intelligence Services (NatJoints) to prioritise the safeguarding and protection of this critical telecommunications infrastructure.

In the Cape Town Regional Court last year, a man charged with theft and vandalism of the telecommunications infrastructure was found guilty of 25 counts of theft and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for each of the 25 counts, collectively amounting to 500 years of direct imprisonment. “The judgement is a clear indication that the impact of battery theft and site vandalism is of a treasonous nature,” says Dr Modimoeng.

The Authority, through its Regional Offices in all nine (9) Provinces, will continue to closely monitor the situation during this volatile period.

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The Much Anticipated WOAN Could Be Rendered As A Still Born

Spectrum allocation must take into account the future growth of the WOAN therefore policy decisions must take a long-term 15 to 20 years’ time horizon into account.

By Vuyani Jarana- Dec 24, 2020

https://www.techfinancials.co.za/2020/12/24/the-much-anticipated-woan-could-be-rendered-as-a-still-born/

The post Criticism of ICASA’s spectrum allocation plan increases appeared first on EMFSA.

HICKORY, NC — Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the next major phase of mobile communications. 5G is set to deliver higher data transfer rates for mission-critical communications and will allow massive broadband capacities, enabling high-speed communication across various applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. According to a recent studyfrom market research firm,Market Connections, underwritten by CommScope, only 46% of respondents feel their current network infrastructure is capable of supporting 5G, but 68% think 5G will have a significant impact on their agency operations within one to four years.

Of the respondents who do not feel their current infrastructure is capable of supporting 5G, none have deployed 5G, 19% are piloting, 43% are planning to pilot, and 52% are not planning or evaluating whether to pilot 5G. According to the report, ongoing and initial costs are reported as top barriers for federal agencies wishing to implement 5G – 44% believe initial/up-front costs will be the biggest barrier and 49% are concerned about ongoing costs.

Read more at: https://www.bbcmag.com/breaking-news/study-reveals-interest-and-concern-in-us-5g-federal-environment

The post Study Reveals Interest and Concern in U.S. 5G Federal Environment appeared first on EMFSA.

The Ethiopian government has suspended the entry of foreign telecom infrastructure companies to the country, The EastAfrican reported. The decision may not affect foreign telecom service providers and operators that have submitted expressions of interest in buying a stake in Ethio Telecom, it added. The decision came after the government reviewed the list of companies intent on buying a 40 percent stake in the monopoly provider.

As well as service providers, the privatisation of Ethio Telecom has attracted a number of telecom infrastructure companies such as Helios Towers. Sources at Ethio Telecom told The EastAfrican that several foreign telecom infrastructure companies had approached Ethiopian authorities with intentions to build new telecom infrastructure and ultimately lease telecom towers and rent other facilities for incoming companies.

Read more at: https://www.telecompaper.com/news/ethiopian-government-suspends-entry-of-foreign-telecom-infrastructure-firms–1349865?utm_source=headlines_-_english&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11-08-2020&utm_content=textlink

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The policy aims to accommodate the accelerated deployment of electronic communications networks, such as LTE and 5G networks.

The policy gives mobile networks and other licensees the right to select, enter, and use public or private land for the deployment of their network infrastructure.

Read more about the proposed policy: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/wireless/360981-new-government-policy-will-let-mobile-networks-build-a-5g-tower-on-your-property.html

Comments must be provided within 30 working days after the publication (22nd of July 2020).

Have your say – shape this policy:

Note by EMFSA: Do peruse the link below, a similar response can be expected in South Africa.

The post South Africa: Proposed policy to allow the installation of 5G Towers on private property appeared first on EMFSA.

WATERTOWN, S.D.—NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, has sent out an advisory bulletin to its members regarding the 5G Global Protest Day that is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 6.

Here is the statement from NATE:

“NATE as an organization has heard through official channels that there are 5G Global Protest Day activities being planned throughout the country this Saturday, June 6, 2020. NATE member companies set themselves apart by embodying the characteristics of work ethic, professionalism, safety and quality on a daily basis. NATE reminds our member companies and their employees to remain safe, exercise vigilance and report any unusual or suspicious activities that they witness when traveling to and working at tower sites this weekend.

Read more at https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/nate-warns-members-about-5g-global-protest-day

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For more information see:

https://www.axios.com/5g-deployment-battle-cities-fcc-small-cell-ad1bfba2-2ffd-463f-8ed4-48a3c664249b.html

The post The battle over 5G deployment in America’s cities appeared first on EMFSA.

•  Press release 3 December 2019

Today the Council adopted conclusions on the significance of 5G to the European economy and the need to mitigate security risks linked to 5G.

The conclusions stress that 5G networks will form a part of crucial infrastructure for the maintenance of vital societal and economic functions.

The conclusions also support the findings in the European 5G Risk Assessment published in October by the member states coordination group on network and information security.

The approach to 5G network security is to be comprehensive and risk-based. 5G security is seen as a continuous process, which starts with the selection of the vendors and lasts the whole way through the production of the network elements and the lifetime of the operation of the networks.

Non-technical factors should also be considered when a supplier’s risk profile is drawn up and components critical for national security should be sourced from trustworthy parties only.

Council conclusions on the significance of 5G to the European economy and the need to mitigate security risks linked to 5G – full text:

st14517-en19

Cybersecurity in Europe: stronger rules and better protection

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/cybersecurity/

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