Fire safety in photovoltaic installations

Installations of photovoltaic solar panels are an infrastructure that must be properly monitored and maintained. The investment made is aimed at saving on the electricity bill, in some cases, but in others it is an investment with a business vision. That is, for the sale of electricity.

The importance of maintenance and fire prevention caused by electrical arcs is big is all photovoltaic installations and, therefore, in electrical installations. It is because of that In this type of installation it is always recommended to incorporate security elements.

These can be the traditional electrical cutting and protection elements or the new active prevention systems. This is where companies like Extincse have developed various products focused on extinguishing fires in photovoltaic inverters, combiner boxes, or electrical panels link and protection.

Fire extinguishing in inverters and electrical panels

The inverters and electrical panels are points of the photovoltaic installation where the intensity of electrical current can reach values ​​higher than nominal of the teams. This usually happens due to a contact defect. What is a contact defect?

A contact defect is an increase in electrical resistance between the connections and the wires., due to different factors, such as loose, dirty or oxidized connections. In a contact defect, what increases is the resistance in the connections. Thus, the heat generated by the Joule effect can start a fire before the panel protections actsince the step currents can be those of nominal operation.

Usually, the circuits of an electrical installation are protected by automatic and differential switches. However, these teams they do not detect the contact defect andtherefore, cannot offer adequate protection in the event of a flame.

On their side, many photovoltaic inverters They have fans to help cool them. Although sometimes it is not enough, causing fires in them.

It is in these cases when the new device from the company Extincse, called “Origin Fire” comes into play. This system is a novel complement for the automatic extinction of electrical fires, specially designed for the interior of photovoltaic inverters, electrical panels, telecommunications cabinets and other electrical applications.

What is the Origin Fire system?

This new extinguishing system is not invasive, its installation and operation integrate perfectly inside the inverterselectrical panels, or other electrical compartments up to 1.5 m³.

Consists in a container filled with gas-based extinguishing agent. This container is pressurized to 16 bar and has a manometer to check that it is at the right pressure and operational for extinction.

Also It has an opening valve with an element that is adjustable, so that it facilitates its installation in any corner of the electrical panel or the inverter. Besides, incorporates a safety clip to prevent opening during installation and handling.

To reach every corner of the electrical cabinet or photovoltaic inverter there is a polymeric tube that is passed through all the most sensitive parts inside the cabinet. In addition, it has an end of line with various options, either a simple plug or with a pressure gauge and/or pressure switch. This tube is made from a heat sensitive materialso that when a high temperature is reached, a sign of fire, it melts.

that’s when the extinguishing agent is released, suffocating the small fire as soon as it has started, with the possibility of informing us by different means of the event. in this way some maintenance operator receives the notice and can go to verify itto check for damage and replace parts that may have been affected.

However, the damage is always minimal and replacements are usually done more for prevention than for malfunction.

Are there other similar systems?

In the market we can find other similar systems, although they do not work the same or are not installed as easily. For example, we found some bars containing a potassium compound. These, with the increase in temperature, are released in the form of an aerosol (gas and dust).

The potassium radicals they are very active and interrupt chemical reactions of combustion by neutralizing hydrogen, oxygen and hydroxide radicals from the flame. However, they must be installed in the upper part of the electrical panel, so that when disseminated in the form of an aerosol they fall freely over the entire panel.

The operation of this extinguishing system slows down detection and also the potassium particle that is formed is not so suitable for electrical components. This entails a problem. The fire may have started in the lower part of the panel and, in large electrical cabinets, the time required for the potassium compound to be activated and that the aerosol sweeps the entire painting from top to bottom may be too much.

So, some elements close to the origin of the fire may be damaged. In addition to the fact that the aerosol breaks down into a small part of particulate matter, not very suitable for sensitive components, such as those that are part of inverters and some electrical control panels.

Other systems are more similar to the Origin Fire, that is, they work by spreading a gas. However, in these cases, the container that contains the gas is located outside. This can lead to different problems, since can suffer blows, improper manipulations or other problems. As a consequence, there may be accidental discharge of extinguishing gas and the cancellation of the system for real cases of fire, if it is not detected and replaced.

In addition, having to pass the detection and extinguishing elements into the cabinet, we have to drill a hole in it, which entails loss of tightness, certifications and guarantees for the cabinet.

Advantages of the Origin Fire system

The advantages offered by this fire-fighting system compared to other similar ones or that have the same purpose are several, so that make it the ideal system to improve the safety of our photovoltaic installations or electrical:

It adapts to any type of closet, regardless of the existing free space. Being a pressurized container, no matter your situationin the upper or lower part of the frame.

No need to drill holes in the cabinet or its walls. Besides, does not interfere with the components of the inverter or the electrical panel where it is installed

• Inverter or electrical cabinet warranty

By not manipulating or modifying anything in the photovoltaic inverter or electrical cabinet the guarantees that the manufacturers of these offer us are not altered.

The facility of the container and the tube are made in a quick and easy.

• Fast and safe extinction

The fire is extinguished in just a few seconds from its appearance, which ensures a minimum of damage. Being able to even continue to function normally, so we will not suffer from stoppages or production cuts.

The fire extinguisher is harmless to peoplein addition to not cause damage to electrical or electronic equipment where the Origin Fire system is installed.

The price of this system electrical fire extinguishing it is very affordablemore taking into account the advantages it provides and the reduction in insurance premiums covering protected facilities.

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