As solar panels become ever ubiquitous on the roofs of South African homes, the number of related fires is increasing. Poor installation is the main cause of solar panel fires, so make sure your service provider has the necessary experience and references. The safety checklist below can help give you peace of mind. South Africans imported solar panels worth about R17.5-billion last year.
Where once upon a time you could gaze down from an aeroplane to see how many homes had swimming pools, now you can count the ones with solar panels on their roofs. Fire Ops South Africa estimates that, over the past year, there have been about 11 to 12 fires daily in the Gauteng central area alone. “As a private provider, we respond to two to four incidents per day and of those, every sixth fire is solar panel-related,” said De Wet Engelbrecht, chief executive of Fire Ops SA. Insurers have warned that your insurance claim could be rejected if your solar panels were not installed responsibly