A warehouse fire in Los Angeles that burned for days is now raising broader concerns about rooftop solar safety.
As solar adoption continues to climb, one engineer argues that the industry needs to move faster on design changes that could reduce heat buildup and help prevent fires before they start.
What happened?
According to pv magazine USA, a June 17 blaze at a cold storage warehouse in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood sent thick smoke into the air and was reportedly harder to manage because of the building’s rooftop solar array.
Speaking with the publication, Lawrence Shaw — chief engineer for solar power systems and sole owner of Arizona-based installer Higher Powered LLC — said the fire could be an early warning of what may come if rooftop systems are not built with stronger thermal safeguards…