Solar Panel / Solar Roof and Wildfires

[Janus]

Being we're in the middle of wildfire session, I've been thinking again about fire-resistant roofing materials. Does anyone know of any research that's happened on the fire resistance of Tesla solar panels or the Solar Roof? At least with Solar Roof, the glass top and metal bottom would "presumably" be better than most other materials, Yet, it has all that electrical wiring, which itself might be a fire risk.

Is there any official research on this, or any anecdotal case studies?

 

[roblab]

I installed metal shingles, which look very like split shingles, very nice looking. I have my solar panels sitting up at an angle so they face the southwestern sun better and so trash, leaves, etc. don't pile up under them making a fire hazard. The wiring runs over the metal shingles, so it won't burn enough to help a fire. I have 30 panels on my roof, and I have installed another 36 on the ground below, on a south facing bank.

I don't rely on the solar panels to be fire proof, especially if they can collect leaves and debris which can help a fire along, though the panels likely won't burn. My worry is the trash, leaves, etc. that can and does collect under the panels. I have two small bits of gable end that are covered with wood siding, and though I'd like to cover them with metal, I haven't. But so far, having several close calls around here, we haven't burned down yet. The shingles are probably the best thing I've done to protect the house, and they'll far outlast asphalt shingles.

 

[wjgjr]

The solar roof has a UL 790 Class A fire rating, which is the highest rating (effective against "severe fire test exposures") for BIPV roofing. A bit more on the rating here - https://www.intertek.com/building/standards/ul-790/

What that actually means in real-world conditions is always harder to say.