Truth about solar panel fires in South Africa

Unless a household has not used a reputable installer with appropriate qualifications, there is a very slim chance that their solar power system could cause a fire.

It is even less likely that their photovoltaïc (PV) panels would be the culprit in such an incident, with other electrical equipment more regularly found to be the source of the spark in a solar system that ignited a blaze.

Recent warnings by South African insurers and the Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman (CGSO) have stoked concern about the risks of solar panels catching fire.

The CGSO and some insurers have observed a rise in unqualified and inexperienced solar installers, who have left some consumers with defective systems.

On rare occasions, these installers have also caused structural damage due to defective designs or workmanship, which may require costly repairs after initial installation.

Standard Bank Insurance products head Dr Hardy Ncube said that the high demand for solar energy in South Africa had also led to a flood of sub-standard equipment into the market.

“While the prices of these components may look attractive, the long-term costs of inefficiency, failure and electrical and fire hazards make this a route to avoid,” Ncube said.

While these warnings should certainly not be taken lightly, the reality is that there are many highly capable solar power installers using safe equipment.

Fire Ops South Africa previously estimated that one in every six incidents firefighters responded to in 2023 was related to a poor solar panel installation.

There may be a perceived increase in incidents due to the significant uptake in rooftop solar in recent years.

Greencape estimated that there was between 250MW and 400MW of rooftop solar PV installed in South Africa by 2019.

According to Eskom, the total installed rooftop PV capacity had increased to 2,574MW by the start of 2023.

By the end of the year, the capacity had increased to 5,204MW, more than double the capacity at the beginning of the year.

With the plethora of fly-by-nights looking to capitalise on high demand, it stands to reason that a portion of these installations were improper and could cause trouble.

One of the more high-profile incidents in which misbehaving solar panels were speculated to be the cause was a fire that happened at Vodacom’s Cape Town headquarters in Century City in July 2023.

However, the mobile network’s investigation found that the system was not to blame — a general electrical fault caused the fire.

More recently, a fire broke out at the Netcare Pretoria East hospital, and photos shared online showed that a part of the facility had solar panels on its roof.

Yet again, an early investigation showed the fire started in a hospital theatre and spread to a section of the roof where the panels were located.

Multiple authoritative energy and electricity entities have explained that solar panels are highly unlikely to cause blazes.

Among them is the US Department of Energy, which describes solar PV fires as “extremely rare” or “very uncommon.”

“It is far more common for a fire to start due to wiring or lighting issues inside the home — and then those fires can spread to the roof,” the department said.

The Fire Protection Association in the UK has also said the risk of solar panel systems catching fire is “extremely low.”

It explained that the main causes of solar panel fires are due to installation faults.

“Not using a competent installer of solar PV systems can lead to faults with the potential to cause fires,” the FPA said.

“Similarly, product defects make up a significant portion of solar-related fires, in which poor quality or incompatible components add to the risk of fire.”

The table below summarises some of the key factors in ensuring the best possible safety measures that should also ensure your insurance will cover any damages caused by