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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A bit of common sense is required when converting to solar energy products.

Photovoltaic (PV) or solar cells convert sunlight into electricity. When light strikes the semiconductor material of a solar cell, it releases electrons that generate electric current.

A solar panel or PV panel is a frame with several connected solar cells. The more solar panels are connected together, the more electricity is produced.

Solar panels produce direct current (DC), not alternating current (AC) electricity. The voltage is also low, [for smaller domestic installations] and being DC, it is impossible for the solar panels which charge the batteries to create dirty electricity or harmful electric and magnetic fields.

In other words, the electrical power from the panels is low voltage (DC) and is not problematic.

The charged batteries power the inverter, which changes the current from low voltage DC to the 230v AC required in order to power the lighting and power circuits. This is where problems could occur.

The inverter should preferably be a pure sine wave inverter to match the requirement for the household appliances that are designed to operate on a pure sine wave ( the same pure sine wave as is generated by the power utility).

Non sine wave inverters have been found to give high readings on dirty electricity meters and sometimes these readings cannot be reduced by the conventional methods.

Claims of “pure sine wave” inverters might not be correct and technical advice may be required,

Needless to say that solar panels must be installed properly by a qualified professional to ensure for example that earthing has been done properly.

The electric and magnetic fields created by an inverter fall off very quickly with distance. Regardless, inverters should not be placed in areas where one spends time, or where a bed is located on the other side of the wall to the inverter.

This topic was included in EMFSA’s comments on the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries; Climate Change Bill tabled in Parliament in February 2022:

“The bill should make strong provision for regulation of renewable energy products, for instance as EMFSA we have encountered some products that are advertised as generating a “pure sine wave” when in our opinion, it does not.” 

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April 29, 2021

Article by Ellen Fungisai Chipango

Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Johannesburg

Zimbabwe is one of the African countries that hopes renewable energy technologies will help to address their energy problems. About 42% of Zimbabwe’s households are connected to the electricity grid.

The country has huge and diverse renewable energy potential. Its sustainable energy portfolio could include solar, hydro, biomass and, to a limited extent, wind and geothermal. Zimbabwe put forward a National Renewable Energy Policy in 2019. The policy aims to have 16.5% of the total generation capacity (excluding large hydro) from renewable sources by 2025. This increases to 26.5% by 2030. These are among the goals it has presented to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and they are promoted in its climate policy.

For policy makers, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and some researchers, it’s a given that renewable energy technologies are the answer. They could meet Zimbabwe’s growing energy demand and achieve universal access sustainably. At face value this is appealing – but the devil is in the details.

My research looked into how renewable energy technologies are understood and how they could alleviate energy poverty in Zimbabwe.

I found that they’re only one piece of the puzzle and other pieces are habitually missing. No matter how well designed and efficient technologies are, their effectiveness is linked to the country’s political economy.

Socio-economic and political factors keep conventional energy out of reach of the poor. My study shows that they can do the same with renewable energy. These factors may even worsen inequality. Adding renewable energy technologies into the existing energy sector structures is like pouring new wine into old wine skins.

The research

I analysed how policy makers and implementers have highlighted some aspects of energy poverty rather than others. This has led to renewable energy being touted as an antidote to energy poverty.

From the data, the following political and economic factors emerged. They explain why renewable energy isn’t a magic bullet for energy poverty:

The politics of energy and technological dependency: China has become a source of finance for large-scale energy projects in Zimbabwe. This is true for both coal-based and renewable energy generation.

Read more at https://theconversation.com/why-renewable-energy-wont-end-energy-poverty-in-zimbabwe-159008

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Abstract

Energy poverty is well acknowledged in the global public and scholarly discussions. Nonetheless, it is habitually analysed in isolation from the discourse through which it is framed, produced, represented and known. Using Zimbabwe as a case study, inductive qualitative research reveals that there is one main discourse associated with energy poverty: net deficit (supply–demand mismatch). This discourse is expressed by narratives that have competed for dominance in the Zimbabwean energy sector (2012-present), in particular, the effect of changes in the climate, vandalism of electricity infrastructure, the impact of sanctions, and the low rate of renewable energy adoption, are analysed. Findings reveal that these narratives construct and interpret energy poverty as an outcome of external factors, while alternative views are scarcely considered due to asymmetrical power relations. The paper concludes that energy poverty cannot be understood outside of the political-economic discourse that constructs and interprets it. Hence, a discursive approach to energy poverty is apt for informing a well-balanced energy policy and practice.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629621001195?via%3Dihub

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BY: TERENCE CREAMER CREAMER MEDIA EDITOR

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has clarified that it is aiming to release bid documentation for the so-called fifth bid window (BW5) of the South Africa’s renewable-energy procurement programme in December, following receipt of the regulator’s concurrence with a Ministerial determination that clears the way for the resumption of procurement.

The Section 34 Ministerial determination has not yet been formally published in the Government Gazette, but the DMRE indicated to Engineering News & Mining Weekly on Monday that it intended Gazetting the document “before the end of next week”, having received the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s concurrence on September 2.

On September 11, the Political Task Team on Eskom, which is chaired by Deputy President David Mabuza, stated that the DMRE would open-up various bid-windows, including BW5, and that the “process will be completed in December 2020”.

Besides a procurement allocation of 6 800 MW for onshore wind and solar photovoltaic generators, the determination also caters for 3 000 MW of gas to power, 1 500 MW of new coal and 513 MW of energy storage. In total, the determination opens the way for the procurement of 11 813 MW.

Snippet

There is currently some concern in the market about the technical specifications in the bid documentation, which some observers believe favour expensive fossil-fuel-based solutions.

Read the full article at https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/dmre-targeting-december-for-initiation-of-fifth-renewables-bid-window-2020-09-14#.X19QQC5pB0o.twitter

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An Electronic Silent Spring – December, 2016 Newsletter from Katie Singer

This newsletter is packed with Healthy Acts from We the People!
Excerpts:
Manufacturing equipment for most solar arrays and wind turbines requires significant energy and chemically purified water; and solar and wind systems harm migratory birds.
“The Cloud Begins with Coal” and what you can do to decrease your electronic footprint.
An overview about cellular antennas
Landlines
Healthy Acts from and for We the People
Warnings
“Smart” meter news
Discount offer for the book An Electronic Silent Spring.

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