Several states have already adopted in their national legislation a number of provisions related to fire insurance of buildings on whose roofs photovoltaic panels are mounted.
“Considering the absolutely explosive pace at which photovoltaics are installed in Romania, I think we will also have to adopt such legislation that helps in the part of the intervention in the building in case of fire”, said Adrian Paraschiv, Country Manager Photomate Romania, at the “Smart Cities” conference, organized by Energynomics.
Fires caused by photovoltaic systems on the roof have been reported in several countries such as China, and England or China. Countries that already have PV fire insurance legislation are Canada, Turkey, the USA, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Italy, the Philippines and Australia.
“We propose a rapid shut-down system that disconnects any kind of energy supply to the respective building. Moreover, insurers in certain countries are already demanding the introduction of such systems for buildings that have installed photovoltaic systems”, said Paraschiv.
According to him, in Romania, too little is discussed about the impact that the increasing number of photovoltaic systems have on the energy transport and distribution network and about the coverage of the intervention area in case of fire. In addition, the increasing number of solar panel installations puts significant pressure on the grids, and this situation will only to be solved by energy storage systems, especially since photovoltaic installations produce most of their energy during the day when consumption is reduced.
“We can’t talk about smart grids and smart cities, at least starting from how the energy transport systems look at the moment, without storage. Photovoltaic energy production is highest in the middle of the day, but consumption is highest in the morning and evening. I estimate that in 2-3 years the grid will reach saturation, so I don’t know how feasible this energy price compensation system will be. Not to mention that it also comes with some related costs,” said Paraschiv.
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At the same time, energy storage systems will allow solar power producers to deliver in-band, and this will likely become a necessity as early as next year due to increasing pressure on power distribution and transmission networks.
The “Smart Cities” conference was organized by Energynomics, with the support of our partners, among them ABB, ENGIE Romania, Finder, Flash Lighting Services, Photomate, REI Group, SIXT.