Use of fire suppression systems at aging renewables assets on the increase

Fire suppression technology installations at renewables projects have risen 26 per cent in the last five years as awareness of the heightened risk facing aging assets increases.

An increasing number of renewable asset owner operators are taking the initiative and installing fire suppression technology due to the heightened risk faced by ageing assets, according to Firetrace International, which has seen a 26 per cent increase in installations in the last five years. 

It represents a clear sign of the increased focus on addressing fire risk in older solar and wind assets. A total of 95 per cent of solar inverters – and up to 85 per cent of operational wind turbines – do not currently have fire suppression installed, according to Firetrace. It’s also worth noting that the vast majority of new wind turbines (up to 80 per cent) similarly lack fire suppression technology.

Fire risk dramatically increases in older renewables assets

An increasing number of solar and wind asset owners are aware that failing to address fire risk in aging wind and solar assets means that the possibility of a fire event increases over time.  Figures show that fire risk dramatically increases in older assets, with an up to 30 per cent increase in wind assets aged between 5-10 years and an up to 15 per cent increase in solar inverters after 3-5 years.

In the context of the wind sector, with approximately a fifth of Europe's onshore turbines at least 15 years in age, and 14 per cent of US wind capacity currently generated by turbines more than 10 years old, retrofitting ageing assets with fire suppression systems is a vital element of effective asset protection. The fire risk is exacerbated by the fact that many of these assets are in remote areas, which delays potential emergency responses and increases the need for turbine-specific safety systems. 

Similarly, a significant proportion of US solar installations are at an age when the risk of fires in solar inverters starts to increase. Data from the Solar Energy Industries Association indicates that around two-thirds of the US’ solar capacity (totaling 120GW) was installed at least three years ago. [1]

More evidence of solar and wind-related fire risk

The increased drive to protect ageing renewables assets against fire risk is unsurprising given the growing body of evidence of the risks associated with wind and solar plants. In particular:

• A data set released by the US Fire Administration (USFA) found that instances of solar system fires more than doubled during the period 2015 to 2018. [2]
• A fire risk study by the UK’s BRE National Solar Centre led to the finding that researchers “strongly suspect a degree of under-reporting, especially amongst solar farms and domestic thermal events that were resolved by a solar installer/ maintenance engineer.” [3]
• While the increase in PV installations in Australia during the period 2018 to 2020 was less than three-fold, data from Fire and Rescue New South Wales (NSW) showed that there was a six-fold increase in the number of solar fires attended by firefighters during the same period. [4]
• The average wind turbine has a 1 in 100 chance of catching fire over an expected 20-year life, based on data from Wind Power Engineering.
• Replacing one wind turbine can cost up to $9 million, factoring in revenue lost from downtime.

Massive US public spending on renewables must be protected

However, if the US is to be successful in making progress towards its clean energy goals, it is vital that the energy storage industry does more to alleviate local communities’ concerns about fire risk. To this end, it is vital that energy storage project owners and operators conduct fire risk assessments and introduce measures to mitigate fire risks.

With the rate of energy storage deployment in the US increasingly significantly, at a cost running to billions of dollars, storage manufacturers, developers and owners need to act quickly and ensure all the necessary precautions are taken to protect energy storage assets from fire risk. A vital component of any effective battery storage fire protection strategy is a fire suppression system. 

Energy storage developers and owners are advised to consult with fire suppression experts to gain an understanding of the extent of the fire risks they face and what steps they can take to protect their energy storage assets.