[RE-wrenches] FW: Panel Fire

Allan Sindelar allan at positiveenergysolar.com
Thu Feb 12 05:13:42 PST 2009


David,
OK, you're right. Each row is two panels, not four, and one two-panel
subarray burned. My mistake, sorry.
 
I have a strong defensive radar about substandard work in our industry, and
this is an extreme example of what can happen. This can hurt us all in terms
of public perceptions about PV. I have been a bulldog about shoddy or
unlicensed work in our area, and have helped to "discourage" a couple of
unlicensed companies from becoming established here. It's my shadow side of
trying to build a strong industry, and of trying to protect our own
company's reputation for quality.
 
Allan
 
-----Original Message-----
From: David Brearley [mailto:david.brearley at solarprofessional.com] 


Allan, there are 4 modules pictured in the "before" photo, not 8. The after
photo show the "good" modules, the ones that did not burn. This suggests
there are 4 module each on two separate roof faces. Please have another look
at the before picture and count the frames. In the before picture each 250 W
mystery module is supported at 4 corners only. They are some sort of large
format modules. Nothing I can find online matches these characteristics,
especially the superstrate material.

Please re-read the homeowner's account in these various postings as well.
Sundiego indicates that the module superstrate is not glass, but some other
material. Apparently it is a material that melts when exposed to flame. It
sure isn't glass, that's pretty clear by the photos and the written account.

This does not look like an elaborate hoax to me. It does look, as BB points
out, like a potential crime scene, a fraud at the very least. Something was
misrepresented to this customer. It's pretty apparent that these modules are
not listed and identified for the application. The installation isn't
vaguely appropriate. It's just dumb luck-literally-that the house didn't
burn down.

Clearly the narrator is unreliable, but I don't think it is malicious, just
ignorance. The dude's a "solar newbie" and his house caught on fire. That's
what it looks like to me.

David


On 2/11/09, "Allan Sindelar" <allan at positiveenergysolar.com> wrote:



One detail I haven't heard mentioned yet and am  curious about - the photo
of the fire damage appears to show the corner of  another west(?)-facing
array. I find it curious that the system owner  described a 2 kW system made
up of eight 250W(!) modules, which are  clearly visible in the topmost
system photo.  There's just a whole lot that doesn't jive in  this whole
story. Scary to me . 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20090212/c6299c76/attachment-0004.html>


More information about the RE-wrenches mailing list