美国太阳能面板存安全隐患 威胁消防员生命

【慧聪消防网】据http://www.nctimes.com/报道：在上周，圣地亚哥的某个建筑上的太阳能电池板引发了一场火灾，这场火灾暴露了加利福利亚州许多城市的建筑规范存在着潜在的消防缺陷。之前，加州政府鼓励在屋顶上安装太阳能发电系统，数以万计的房主响应了这个号召。

专家说，在大多数城市，政府没有强制房主安装太阳能面板开关，而这些开关能在紧急情况下切断来自太阳能面板的电流。一旦发生火灾，只要是个大晴天，危险的电流就会沿着导线源源不断的流入，消防队员对此毫无办法。

上周三的时候，AmyPavis在自己家里经历了一场太阳能面板引发的电气火灾，她永远不会忘记那种感觉。

尽管用掉了很多个家庭灭火器，圣迭戈消防救援部门也做了很大的努力，AmyPavis家屋顶上的太阳能面板依然燃烧了几个小时，直到最后一个电工截断了与太阳能面板连在一起的导线，火才最终熄灭。

已调查了25年电气火灾的Snyder说，像这样由太阳能面板引起的火灾，他见过50起，其中5起损失惨重。

Snyder说，火灾暴露了一个明显的建设太阳能面板设计缺陷，特别是对于广泛使用的住宅太阳能电池面板用户来说，是一个非常严重的火灾隐患。

为了减少碳排量和应对不断上涨的电价，政府推行使用太阳能发电系统，而在加利福利亚洲，越来越多的户主安装太阳能面板。在2008年7月至2009年6月，圣迭戈县共发出了432张太阳能面板安装许可证，而在接下来的9个月内，许可证已经增加到了760个。

几乎所有这些装置都包括两个开关，这两个开关都靠近甚至直接安装在逆变器中，

一个开关最大限度地减少交流电流入房间，另一个开关是起保护作用，避免直流电流从太阳能面板中漏电。Pavis家的火灾中，太阳能面板的直流开关在一个旧型逆变器盒中，这为扑灭火灾增加了困难。但Snyder认为，即使安装两个开关也不足以阻止火灾发生。

他认为应该有办法在屋顶上的时候就切断直流电源，这个开关应该尽可能的靠近太阳能面板。

“当家里的断路器坏了时，这个开关应该能切断整改电力系统。”他说。

圣迭戈县的建筑规范遵照加州定制，在规范中，没有强制安装这样一个开关。Snyder说，在该区域，只有特曼库拉有强制要求。

加州特曼库拉营首席林业与消防处处长CharlieDeHart表示，这样的高规范的标准应该被采纳，消防员在扑救太阳能面板火灾时，能快速有效的切断电流，快速扑灭火灾。

一些业内专家表示，这确实是一个问题。

加州太阳能的执行董事能源行业协会会长SueKateley表示，直流电线确实对消防员存在着威胁。

只要太阳出来，太阳能面板就电量十足，即使是在阴天或者黑夜，它也依然保持着电力。

SueKateley说太阳能面板引发的火灾给我们的真正教训是，房主应定时对太阳能发电系统做检查，以确保没有任何问题和火灾隐患。但她承认，太阳能电池板的安全系数还有待发展提高。（编译/慧聪消防网羽卒）

此消息系编译自国外媒体，慧聪消防网登载此文出于传递更多信息之目的，并不意味着赞同其观点或证实其描述。文章内容仅供参考。

原文：

ENERGY: Solar fire raises questions about panel safety A small house fire caused by a solar panel in San Diego last week exposed a potentially dangerous flaw in the building codes of many cities across California,which is pushing for tens of thousands of homeowners to install the generating systems on their rooftops.

Experts say that in most cities,installers are not required to place a switch on the roof to cut power from panels in an emergency ---- leaving firefighters unable to put out certain fires and helpless to stop dangerous amounts of electricity from flowing along wires as long as the sun is shining. Temecula,which requires a separate shut-off,appears to be the sole local exception.

Amy Pavis had a solar-powered electrical fire on her Lake Murray-area home on Wednesday,and it wouldn't go out.

Fed by electricity from her rooftop solar panels,the fire smoldered for hours despite repeated applications of a household fire extinguisher and the efforts of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Only after an electrician arrived to cut the wires leading from the panels were the flames put down for good.

Snyder,who has investigated electrical fires for 25 years,said he's seen 50 solar-fed fires like this one,and on five occasions there was major damage. Snyder said the fire illustrates a clear failure of building codes governing solar installations,especially given the proliferation of residential solar arrays.

Spurred by state and federal incentives,an appetite for carbon-free energy and a desire to protect themselves against electric rate hikes,California homeowners have been installing solar panels in increasing numbers. San Diego County issued 432 permits for solar installations between July 2008 and June 2009. In the nine months since then,it has issued 760.

Nearly all of these installations include two switches next to or even inside the inverter box: one that cuts AC flowing into the house,and one that cuts the DC current flowing down from the panels. Pavis had an older inverter with the DC cutoff switch in the box,which exacerbated the problem. But Snyder thinks even the two-sided set up is inadequate.

He argues there should be a way to cut DC power right up on the roof,as close to the panels as possible.

"When you throw the breaker in the house,it should cut power on the whole system," he said.

San Diego County follows the state's building codes,which do not require such a switch. In the region,only Temecula has such a requirement,Snyder said.

Charlie DeHart,a battalion chief in Temecula for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection,said the stricter rule is preferred because firefighters can effectively cut power from the panels.

But some industry experts said that's exactly the problem.

Sue Kateley,the executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association,a trade group,said DC cutoffs create danger because they mislead firefighters.

The solar panels remain energized as long as the sun is up,and they even retain some electricity when it's dark. Putting a cutoff on the roof only neutralizes the wire running from the panels to the inverter box,but it doesn't eliminate the danger to firefighters.

Kateley said there are other solutions to the problem of energized solar cells,but she didn't provide examples. She said the real lesson of last week's solar panel-sparked house fire is that homeowners need to have their systems inspected on a regular basis,to make sure nothing needs replacement or repair. But she also conceded that data on solar panels and safety is still coming in.