Over the past few years, firefighters have been encountering more and more solar panels as more homes are outfitted with these energy saving devices. According to Butte County CAL FIRE Captain Scott McLean, “We have solar panels that sometimes become a hazard, and what I mean by that is the electricity flows from those solar panels down into the house at the electrical panel. There is no switch in between, so there is a lot of voltage flowing at any time that we can not turn off.”

“We have found … we can bring a tarp up on the roof and cover those solar panels, which take that aspect away from them,” McLean said.

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RenewablesBiz reports that the U.S. solar market is still growing strongly and will double its capacity addition record this year over 2010. A new report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)’s latest quarterly U.S. Solar Market Insight report is the source of their information.  U.S. manufacturers are also gaining a greater share of the worldwide market.

The report comes on the heels of Congressional hearing that tried to dissect the failed federal loan guarantee to Solyndra. The solar industry report is good news with a sluggish national economy. This also means that issues with fire and solar panels will grow proportionally worldwide as well.

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According to the Shore News, firefighters in New Jersey want training for solar panel fires and for dealing with fires at homes and businesses with solar panel installations.

John Berg, the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Township and an officer at the Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department said, “Solar panels maintain a charge and first responders need to know how to handle emergencies in buildings with these power sources.”

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Brent Harris, the CEO of Sustainable Energy Technologies, addresses questions about the safety of firefighters while battling blazes on buildings with solar panels. He says, “the greatest concern for safety, firefighters and emergency crews have is not knowing if there is a solar PV array at that location. When responding to emergencies at tall buildings, or fires with a large amount of smoke, emergency crews are then forced to enter the building “blind”; meaning they do not know what they are going to face when they enter into this building. Although beginning to be noted as a concern in places throughout California – this is an issue which holds greater weight in Europe, particularly in countries such as Germany where rooftop solar systems are more prevalent.”

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“Components are always hot!” and “Operate normally, but don’t touch” is the advice provided to fire departments from the NFPA when dealing with a fire involving solar panels, due to current building codes and the lack of adequate technology available to fire departments.

The report is entitled, “Fire Fighter Safety and Emergency Response for Solar Power Systems”.

Read the full report here.