A new product is offering an innovative solution to the question of how to quickly and safely shut down a solar system in the event of an emergency.
PVStop, developed by Sydney-based solar installer LJW Solar, uses a fire extinguisher-style system to spray a concentrated stream of fast-setting, light-blocking polymer film onto solar panels, instantly shutting off the power and eliminating any risk of electrocution. Once the danger has passed, the manufacturer says, the film can simply and easily be peeled off the panel with no damage to the system.
Apparently dismissing the role of DC isolator switches, the manufacturer claims in its promotional materials that “there are no safety mechanisms or inbuilt systems to shut off solar panels when solar panels are generating electricity during daylight hours. This creates an area known as the ‘DC Danger Zone’, where at any location from the panels to the inverter there could be a live, lethal current that could potentially cause an electric shock or an electric arc that starts a causes and injury or starts a fire.”
PVStop was unveiled at the AFAC 2015 fire and emergency management exhibition in early September, and LJW Solar says it is now seeking investment and funding to support the manufacturing of the product.
“We are looking to form strategic alliances with the emergency services and state governments to communicate the availability of the product, with the vision of having a PVStop canister on every fire truck,” says LJW Solar.
The company also has global ambitions for its product, saying it will look to deploy to safety suppliers and enter the local markets before moving offshore.
