Power trips

摘要

OVER THE last decade, there has been an observable increase in the fitting of solar panels on building roofs in the UK, to generate alternative energy by capturing the sun's heat or by using sunlight to generate electricity. Research by the author, The Recognition of Fires Originating from Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Systems, revealed that solar alternative energy systems can create potential additional dangers to fire or crime scene examiners, regardless of the cause of any fire. Many of these risks are not immediately apparent and may lead to false assumptions being made by investigators regarding scene safety during their risk assessments. It showed that solar systems can be the cause of fires and that it is possible for some PV system components to fail and cause a fire, either immediately on starting up the system, or after a delay of many months or even potentially years.