Solar Farm Sparks Grass Fire

With a long and dry season in Wyoming, the one thing we don't need is more things starting fires.

Wyoming is quickly becoming home to more wind and solar power farms.

It turns out that, besides other hazards caused by these power farms like bird and bat kills and disruption to migration corridors, they can be fire hazards.

A local TV station in Eagle Point Oregon has just filed a story about a solar farm that, so far, has started two grass fires in two months.

According to a Facebook post from Fire District 3, the first grass fire happened on July 31 and was about seven acres. The most recent fire happened on Sept. 30 at three acres.

The farm currently operates 33,000 panels.

After the fire on July 31st, our fire investigators immediately began working with the company (Soltage, LLC) who owns the solar panels to develop a plan, the release said.

Both grassfires were caused by overheated electronic panels that failed and then subsequently dropped molten electronics onto the dried grass.

One solution is to cut fire breaks around the panel.

But as long as the panels are there nothing can be done about the fire hazard.

Solar panels cannot be fully de-energized, the release said. If the sun is shining, electricity is being produced within the panels.

There is no 'off-switch' to stop electricity from being produced within the panels and the internal components.

NewsWatch 12 spoke with Jack Barksdale, longtime solar system inspection and maintenance personnel and cofounder of American Union of Solar System Inspectors.

Apparently, a weak physical connection between wires with a high current can cause this problem.