Amazon Reports Fire From Tesla Solar, Walmart May Not Remove Installations

Tesla solar panels caught fire on the roof of an Amazon warehouse in Redlands, California, according to a report from Bloomberg. The news comes days after Walmart disclosed it has suffered similar fires from Tesla installations.

The Amazon fire reportedly occurred June 2018 and involved a solar panel system that Tesla’s SolarCity division had installed.

“The Seattle-based retail giant said by email that it has since taken steps to protect its facilities and has no plans to install more Tesla systems,” Bloomberg reported.

Last week, Walmart sued Tesla after solar panels at seven stores allegedly caught fire.

Walmart said in court papers that it wants Tesla to remove solar panels at all 240 stores where they are installed and to pay damages caused by the fires. The suit alleges breach of contract, gross negligence and failure to live up to industry standards.

Walmart and Tesla then issued a joint statement late Thursday saying they’re working to resolve their issues and “look forward to addressing all issues and re-energizing Tesla solar installations at Walmart stores.”

“Together, we look forward to pursuing our mutual goal of a sustainable energy future,” the statement said. “Above all else, both companies want each and every system to operate reliably, efficiently, and safely.”

 

[SSonnentag]

I just did a search for rooftop solar fire incidents around the world. They appear to be EXTREMELY rare, somewhere on the order of 0.006% chance. That said, the fires that do show up in searches seem to be very large rooftop installations, such as with Walmart and Amazon buildings. It makes me wonder if the engineering departments aren't accounting for the long runs and are undersizing the wiring.

 

[biotour]

some quick math :

solarcity's total deployed capacity (as of 2016) = 2.4GW

2.4gw*0.00006 = 144KW potential for catching fire

assuming 300w panel,

144kw/300w = 480 panels

so if only a fraction of these caught fire, they're still winning.

 

[voip-ninja]

some quick math :

solarcity's total deployed capacity (as of 2016) = 2.4GW

2.4gw*0.00006 = 144KW potential for catching fire

assuming 300w panel,

144kw/300w = 480 panels

so if only a fraction of these caught fire, they're still winning.

I don't think you understand the impact of negative PR in the press due to these issues.

Not winning.

There are thousands and thousands of these massive rooftop installations in the US alone. My local school district for example has 20 huge installs on school roofs as part of a solar pilot program. If installed properly a fire is nearly impossible.

The only reason these large installations catch fire is due to improper installation or improper monitoring.... a.k.a, incompetence by Tesla's Solar City division.

 

[Blucenturion]

Tesla solar panels caught fire on the roof of an Amazon warehouse in Redlands, California, according to a report from Bloomberg. The news comes days after Walmart disclosed it has suffered similar fires from Tesla installations. The Amazon fire reportedly occurred June 2018 and involved a solar panel system that Tesla’s SolarCity division had installed....
[WPURI="https://teslamotorsclub.com/blog/2019/08/26/amazon-reports-fire-from-tesla-solar-walmart-may-not-remove-instillations/"]READ FULL ARTICLE[/WPURI]

What's wrong with your punctuation and spelling? Staff?

 

[SSonnentag]

I don't think you understand the impact of negative PR in the press due to these issues.

Not winning.

There are thousands and thousands of these massive rooftop installations in the US alone. My local school district for example has 20 huge installs on school roofs as part of a solar pilot program. If installed properly a fire is nearly impossible.

The only reason these large installations catch fire is due to improper installation or improper monitoring.... a.k.a, incompetence by Tesla's Solar City division.

That's the point I was insinuating...

World average solar fire rate: 0.006%
Tesla Walmart solar fire rate: 2.916%

That's 486 times more likely for a Tesla solar installation fire than the average. NOT GOOD.

 

[Brando]

Jeff Bezos can't compete. SpaceX kicking his ass with rocket launches and costs. So Bezos wants to destroy SpaceX.
Bezos with attack Elon in ANYWAY he can.

I have no idea how a solar panel can "catch fire" - except from some electrical connection problems. Governments inspect (building permits) Utilities inspect when they "allow hook up" to the grid. Installer inspects. Of course we can rule out any insurance fraud, can't we?

color me skeptical

PS - The Tesla Conspiracy... or Am I a Dead Whistleblower? - EVTV Motor Verks
If you prefer video clip watch Zac & Jesse

 

[acal]

"I have no idea how a solar panel can "catch fire" ....color me skeptical"

It's a passive DC power source with enough voltage to arc. If you don't see how a solar panel can catch/start a fire it's because you don't understand how they work.

Panels can, and do, start fires. It's not super common, but it happens. The same effect that causes this also reduces lifetime and is the basis of the requirement that they all be installed facing the same direction, not near trees, etc. What happens is essentially:

- a panel is comprised of an array of individual cells in series. Each cell's production is proportional to the amount of sunlight landing on it. Anything from cloud lensing to leaves to bird poop can reduce the sunlight landing on a cell.
- as panels are today constructed, an underproducing cell is lower voltage. If it's much lower than its neighbors then they drive current INTO it. Which creates heat.
- to prevent this, panels include diodes...but every diode you include reduces the peak efficiency of the panel so panel manufactures are motivated to use as few as possible.
-cells getting reverse current GET HOT. hot enough to risk de-lamination of the panel. hot enough to fry the insulation and to arc. and because they're a passive current source (e.g. they only stop producing when there's no sun on them), arcing won't shut it off...it just keeps going.

This is the reason that some firedepartments have a policy to not go into/on burning buildings with panels on them. It's a huge safety hazard.

Yes, there is a govm't limit for this. UL certification includes a limit for how hot the panel can get in a 'hot spot' test. However, 100% of the panels produced by major manufactures will fail this test. Don't believe me? I challenge anyone w/ a solar panel from any manufacturer to cover up one cell and put your hand on the backside. I'm perplex why UL hasn't raised a flag. My best guess is that since they all fail it, and UL generally won't halt a product if it'll kill an industry, it's just getting ignored.

This isn't a Tesla problem. It's a solar panel problem, as they are constructed and managed today.