{"id":46360,"date":"2021-01-06T07:28:16","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T20:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=46360"},"modified":"2021-01-06T07:28:16","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T20:58:16","slug":"solar-fires-nsw-mb1829","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Solar<\/p>\n

There have been several fire incidents in New South Wales in the last week or so involving solar power systems – and at least two are thought to have been caused by rooftop isolator switches.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, Fire and Rescue New South Wales reported it had attended an incident at a home in Woongarrah on the Central Coast after a triple-zero caller reported smoke issuing from the roof of the home.<\/p>\n

“Firefighters from Hamlyn Terrace and Doyalson fire stations arrived on scene a short time later and were able to quickly extinguish the fire and ensure it had not spread further,” said Fire and Rescue<\/a>. “FRNSW’s Fire Investigation and Research Unit are currently working to establish the cause of the fire, which is believed to have started in the isolation switch.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The isolator switch involved is pictured above.<\/p>\n

On December 30<\/a>, firefighters and police were called to an address in the Newcastle suburb of Bar Beach after reports a home’s rooftop solar panels were smouldering. Again, the fire was put out before any major structural damage could occur. A potential cause wasn’t mentioned.<\/p>\n

On December 28<\/a>, FRNSW were called to respond to a house fire in Lake Cathie, south of Port Macquarie. The cause noted was a rooftop isolation switch.<\/p>\n

Isolation Switches A Common Solar Fire Culprit<\/h2>\n

Fire and Rescue NSW stated last year solar panel related fires had increased five-fold in the previous five years, but didn\u2019t provide any numbers. More than 600,000 solar power systems have been installed in New South Wales, and wherever widespread electrical appliances are involved there will be incidents – but this shouldn’t just be accepted if there is room for improvement.<\/p>\n

And there is.<\/p>\n

FRNSW has previously noted<\/a> isolator switches have accounted for around half of solar power system fires in the state. While the proportion of rooftop isolators being the culprit wasn\u2019t mentioned, its likely a majority of them were given the track record of these problematic devices.<\/p>\n

A rooftop DC isolator switch is a manually operated switch installed next to a solar panel array enabling the DC current between the array and the solar inverter to be shut off. Ironically, it was intended as an additional safety mechanism and is a requirement for all solar power systems in Australia. But we seem to be the only country that still requires their use.<\/p>\n

Many solar installers despise having to install rooftop DC isolator switches and there are moves to have the requirement removed from Australian Standards – and that can’t come too soon. There’s also a push to do away with wall-mounted isolators; instead requiring an isolator incorporated within the solar inverter.<\/p>\n

Those are a couple of improvements that can be made – another is owners having their systems checked.<\/p>\n

Good quality DC isolator switches properly installed and effectively protected by a shroud are generally safe. A shroud is another requirement that has been in place for some time and the isolator switch in yesterday’s incident didn’t appear to have one. Perhaps the installation pre-dated the requirement, but the setup generally looked to be a bit dodgy.<\/p>\n

Fire safety is another important reason for choosing a good solar installer<\/a>. But regardless of component and installation quality and given the harsh conditions rooftop DC isolator switches and other components of a solar power system have to endure over many years, it’s important to have an inspection and system test performed every few years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There have been several fire incidents in New South Wales in the last week or so involving solar power systems – and at least two are thought to have been caused by rooftop isolator switches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":46362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSolar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Of several very recent fire incidents in NSW involving solar power systems, at least two are thought to have been caused by isolator switches.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Of several very recent fire incidents in NSW involving solar power systems, at least two are thought to have been caused by isolator switches.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-05T20:58:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Bloch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\"},\"headline\":\"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-05T20:58:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\"},\"wordCount\":586,\"commentCount\":11,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Solar & Storage News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\",\"name\":\"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-05T20:58:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"Of several very recent fire incidents in NSW involving solar power systems, at least two are thought to have been caused by isolator switches.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Solar rooftop DC isolator switch fire\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"General Solar & Storage News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\",\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Michael Bloch\"},\"description\":\"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches","description":"Of several very recent fire incidents in NSW involving solar power systems, at least two are thought to have been caused by isolator switches.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches","og_description":"Of several very recent fire incidents in NSW involving solar power systems, at least two are thought to have been caused by isolator switches.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2021-01-05T20:58:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Bloch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Bloch","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1"},"headline":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches","datePublished":"2021-01-05T20:58:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/"},"wordCount":586,"commentCount":11,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg","articleSection":["General Solar & Storage News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/","name":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-05T20:58:16+00:00","description":"Of several very recent fire incidents in NSW involving solar power systems, at least two are thought to have been caused by isolator switches.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Solar rooftop DC isolator switch fire"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"General Solar & Storage News","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1","name":"Michael Bloch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Michael Bloch"},"description":"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-c3K","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-power-fire-mb1661\/","url_meta":{"origin":46360,"position":0},"title":"Warning From FRNSW On Solar Power System Safety\u00a0","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"August 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Fire and Rescue NSW has sounded a new warning after another solar PV related incident in the state. The Camden Advertiser reports FRNSW responded to a call on Wednesday morning after smoke was reported \"coming from a switch\" (assumed isolator switch) connected to solar panels on the rooftop of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar power system fires - FRNSW","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43809,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-isolator-fire-mb1713\/","url_meta":{"origin":46360,"position":1},"title":"Another Rooftop Solar DC Isolator Up In Smoke","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A problem child of solar installations - rooftop DC isolators - are continuing to demonstrate why they should no longer be required. Early yesterday afternoon, Fire and Rescue NSW crews attended a residence in the Newcastle suburb of New Lambton following reports of a house fire. Crews arriving on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rooftop solar panel fire","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/solar-panel-fire.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95384,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/ant-invasion-solar-isolator-mb3296\/","url_meta":{"origin":46360,"position":2},"title":"Ant-icipating Issues: Importance Of Solar System Inspections","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Various critters can potentially make a home among or inside the components of your solar power system, including ants. It's another reason why visual checks where possible and regular professional solar system inspections are so important. How Can Tiny Ants Cause Big Solar Problems? Ants can cause issues in electrical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Installation"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ant infestation in solar rooftop DC isolator.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dc-isolator-ants.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dc-isolator-ants.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dc-isolator-ants.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dc-isolator-ants.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dc-isolator-ants.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31153,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/rooftop-dc-isolator-mb1097\/","url_meta":{"origin":46360,"position":3},"title":"Continuing Push For Rooftop DC Isolator Requirement Review","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"June 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a growing call for an end to the very unpopular rooftop isolator requirement for solar power system installations in Australia. What Is A Rooftop DC Isolator? Pictured above, a rooftop DC isolator is manually operated switch situated adjacent to a solar panel array that shuts off DC current\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rooftop DC isolator","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/rooftop-dc-isolator.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/rooftop-dc-isolator.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/rooftop-dc-isolator.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/rooftop-dc-isolator.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/rooftop-dc-isolator.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48622,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panels-floods-mb1924\/","url_meta":{"origin":46360,"position":4},"title":"Solar Power System Safety – Flood Events","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"March 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're a solar owner, it's important to know about solar power system safety ahead of, during and after flood events. Solar panels can continue to generate electricity even if mains power has been disconnected, meaning solar systems can pose a significant electrical safety risk for the household and utility\/emergency\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar panels and flood events","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/solar-panels-floods.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/solar-panels-floods.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/solar-panels-floods.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/solar-panels-floods.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/solar-panels-floods.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94768,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-system-servicing-mb3277\/","url_meta":{"origin":46360,"position":5},"title":"Solar Power System Servicing: Make The Safe Call","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"September 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A public safety campaign in Victoria \u2014 the core message of which applies everywhere \u2014 is urging households to have their rooftop solar systems inspected regularly. More than 833,000 small-scale (<100 kW capacity) solar power systems have been installed across Victoria; around 500,000 of those more than 5 years ago.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Installation"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"electrician inspecting a solar power system.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/solar-system-inspection.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/solar-system-inspection.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/solar-system-inspection.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/solar-system-inspection.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/solar-system-inspection.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46360"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46371,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46360\/revisions\/46371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}