Sun panels provide rising hearth chance, say insurers

New analysis from trade insurer QBE finds UK hearth services and products confronted a hearth involving a sun panel as soon as nearly each two days in 2024, marking a 60% build up up to now two years.

Knowledge accrued by way of QBE from freedom of data (FoI) requests to UK hearth services and products in August 2025 additionally disclose that fires are emerging sooner than the velocity of installations, which might point out mistaken set up or upkeep.

The findings come as the United Kingdom sees document ranges of sun panel installations, pushed by way of industrial call for and govt net-zero incentives. As of August 2025, there have been 1,834,584 sun panels put in throughout the United Kingdom.

Adrian Simmonds, follow chief for belongings chance answers at QBE Insurance coverage, mentioned: “Sun generation is an very important a part of the United Kingdom’s blank power transition, however the speedy tempo of deployment is purpose for worry for chance control. Our research displays fires involving sun panel fires have risen at two times the velocity of recent installations during the last two years. Protected sun panel set up and upkeep are very important to decreasing fires.”

QBE gained responses from 37 of the 49 hearth services and products national. Those 37 hearth services and products handled 151 sun panel fires in 2024, suggesting that the true general is extra like 200 incidences, had all hearth services and products responded.

Of the 151 fires, 97 had been on residential structures, 27 on industrial houses, 17 on sun farms and 10 on commercial structures.

Flawed set up was once a widespread purpose, with free connections, broken wires or misguided wiring resulting in arc faults or different electric problems. Different elements come with element defects, top present, and exterior elements corresponding to moisture, excessive climate, and mud or foliage at the panels.

The FoI information suggests that almost all of fires originate within the inverter or at the sun panels themselves. The inverter is the hardest-working element in a sun panel machine, susceptible to failure if put in incorrectly or poorly maintained. It generates important warmth, that means deficient air flow, mud build-up, or blocked cooling programs can temporarily lift hearth dangers. Sun panel inverters will also be situated indoors and outside, however there must be no obstruction, just right air flow and well timed alternative.

A rising worry may be the speedy adoption of lithium-ion batteries in new sun installations.

Adrian Simmonds mentioned: “Maximum new home and industrial programs now come with battery garage, introducing further hearth dangers when gadgets are put in in lofts, airing cabinets or upper-floor areas which are tricky to get right of entry to in an emergency. Mixed with restricted inspection and cleansing, those installations build up the chance and possible severity of fires.”

In 2024 the United Kingdom hearth services and products tended to at least one,330 lithium-ion battery fires. QBE mentioned that it expects that, as lithium-ion battery use expands, battery gadgets may quickly transform a number one supply of fires connected to sun panel programs.

Simmonds famous that excessive climate prerequisites may additional exacerbate those dangers. “Roofs and panels must be inspected after storms or top winds, as even minor dislodgement or particles can build up hearth chance,” he mentioned.

Techniques are in most cases designed to resist speeds of as much as 120 miles in step with hour, but contemporary storms corresponding to Hurricane Ashley have exceeded this threshold. Prime winds can carry up panels or reveal cabling, whilst hail, mud and extended warmth can harm surfaces and insulation. Assets house owners must due to this fact observe “one-in-100-year” standards on the design degree and perform roof inspections following main storms, hail or flooding, he mentioned.

Simmonds concluded: “We strongly inspire belongings house owners to hold out formal chance exams, have interaction qualified installers, and make sure common inspections and cleansing. Those easy steps can considerably scale back the risk of fireplace.”

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