Fire Safety Qualification in Solar Photovoltaic Modules

Solar energy is defined as energy obtained from the sun s radiation. We can convert this energy directly to electricity by using Photovoltaic modules (PV). Photovoltaic modules may be installed in many different applications. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the potential hazards associated with those applications and to evaluate the construction of the module accordingly. In this paper we try to concentrate on fire safety hazards and introduce required fire safety tests. The fire safety tests that are suggested to apply on the modules are: Temperature test (MST 21), Hot spot test (MST 22), Fire test (MST 23), Reverse current overload test (MST 26) according to part 1 2 of IEC 61730. [1] [2]