Sweden currently lacks national fire protection guidelines for solar power, leading local emergency services to develop their own, often inconsistent, standards. Supported by funding from Elteknikbranschens Utvecklings AB, the consulting firm Bengt Dahlgren has proposed comprehensive guidelines for fire protection of solar installations on large roofs.
Svensk Solenergi welcomes the idea of national guidelines to replace the patchwork of local regulations but emphasises that the measures outlined should not result in excessive costs.
Fires in PV systems: Risk assessment and safety solutions
Requirements for combustible materials in roof structures.
In addition to requiring mounting systems to withstand 15 minutes of fire exposure, the draft guidelines propose oversizing fire brigade circuit breakers, detailed specifications for intervention cards, clarified distances to fire compartment boundaries, and stricter requirements for combustible materials in roof structures.
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According to Svensk Solenergi, the proposals could mean that only steel mounting systems will be permitted on large sloping roofs. (hcn)
