Amazon warehouses’ rooftop solar fires signal a threat to renewable energy

The news: On six separate occasions between April 2020 and June 2021, rooftop solar panels at Amazon’s fulfillment centers caught fire or exploded.

• On April 14, 2020, 220 solar panels were damaged in a three-alarm fire at an Amazon warehouse in Fresno, California, requiring dozens of firefighters to extinguish, per CNBC.
• Over a year later, 60 firefighters put out a bigger two-alarm blaze at an Amazon facility in Perryville, Maryland.
• At least four other of the ecommerce giant’s fulfillment centers caught fire or experienced electrical explosions due to solar power malfunctions during that time period.
• “The rate of dangerous incidents is unacceptable, and above industry averages,” commented an Amazon employee in an internal report about the fires not made public but viewed by CNBC.
• Amazon spokesperson Erika Howard told CNBC that the solar systems were run by partners.
• A third-party audit of Amazon’s solar arrays found issues like mismatched, module-to-module connectors, improper connector installation, poor wire management, and water intrusion in inverters.

Why it’s worth watching: Once thought to be rare, more reports of solar panel fires have emerged, indicating that the technology potentially poses a greater fire risk than previously thought. For Amazon, the fires will likely spark scrutiny of the company’s safety and sustainability pledges.

• A spate of deaths and injuries at Amazon warehouses has already put safety protocols and working conditions under the spotlight.
• Although the fires don’t appear to have resulted in injuries, they caused all of Amazon’s US solar systems to be taken offline for an unspecified duration.
• The systems are a key component of the tech giant’s goal to hit net-zero carbon by 2040, yet its carbon emissions jumped by 18% in 2021, per The Register.
• The audit also revealed that Amazon delayed inspections of its rooftop solar systems at Whole Foods stores until this year.

The big takeaway: Beyond the incidents at Amazon warehouses, there have been other recent reports of solar panels catching fire. The fires have triggered concerns about improper installation and the effects of extreme weather on the systems.

• Improper installation and maintenance of solar systems is an indication that the tech industry’s skills deficit likely extends to the cleantech sector.
• As Amazon now manages its solar systems in-house, the importance of skilled labor still applies.
• Despite the company’s fraught relationship with unions, organized labor’s apprenticeship training programs and focus on safety could help reduce fire risks.
• With extreme weather conditions potentially affecting solar’s performance and exacerbating fire risk, there’s a case for improved designs and safety mechanisms.