{"id":60161,"date":"2022-03-23T07:25:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T20:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=60161"},"modified":"2022-03-23T07:34:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T21:04:22","slug":"safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry Initiative Calls For Safer Solar In Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-60167 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2.jpg\" alt=\"Safer solar power systems - Australia\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2-768x403.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the wake of recent flooding on the east coast, industry group Safer Solar is calling for mandated rapid shutdown technology on solar power systems in Australia.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Most rooftop PV systems in Australia output high voltage DC current that is delivered to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/inverters\/\">solar inverter<\/a> installed on a wall below. This can be problematic in flooding, particularly if the inverter isn&#8217;t first switched off before inundation. Even if it is, the solar panels are still outputting power.<\/p>\n<p>During recent floods on the east coast, we saw images of people awaiting rescue on rooftops &#8211; some of these with solar panels. Being on a rooftop isn&#8217;t particularly safe at the best of times, and a wet solar rooftop even less so. While rooftop DC isolators are useful in this scenario (one of the few where they are), there are still a bunch of panels cranking high voltage DC current to that point. There remains a risk of a powerful electrical current running through the roof if damage to wiring occurs.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, there doesn&#8217;t appear to have been any serious injuries or deaths from live solar panels during a flood emergency in Australia to date. But safety can always be improved and it seems we are lagging behind other countries in this respect.<\/p>\n<h2>Safer Solar Systems With MLPE<\/h2>\n<p>MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics), aka <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/good-solar-guide\/panel-level-optimisation\/\">Panel Level Optimisation (PLO)<\/a> are technologies that can help reduce the risks. Two forms of MLPE are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/inverters\/micro\/\">microinverters<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-optimisation\/\">power optimisers<\/a>. These devices are installed on the back of solar panels or on the racking beneath them, usually one per panel. In the case of microinverters, the devices replace conventional string inverters and convert the DC output from a solar panel to safer AC.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.safersolar.com.au\/\">Safer Solar<\/a> spruiks these technologies as providing solar energy management systems able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Quickly and easily shut down solar PV systems when the need arises<\/li>\n<li>Isolate individual solar panels that fail to meet safety standards through remote management<\/li>\n<li>Monitor solar panels remotely for problems to enable quicker post-disaster recovery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The most popular microinverters used in Australia are manufactured by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/inverters\/enphase-review.html\">Enphase Energy<\/a> &#8211; and it&#8217;s no surprise the company is involved with the Safer Solar initiative.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cRapid shutdown is already mandated in the US so solar panels can be made to stop producing energy in the event of a disaster like fire, flood or tornado,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.impress.com.au\/newsroom\/safer-solar\/2317-safer-solar-flood-warning.html\">said<\/a> Enphase Energy General Manager ANZ Wilf Johnston. &#8220;Even developing countries such as Thailand and the Philippines now mandate rapid shutdown systems.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Mr. Johnston believes the risk in Australia is increased considering many systems are now 10 years old or more.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Australia needs to mandate that replacements for these old systems and all new systems meet the highest safety standards &#8211; which includes rapid shutdown,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Master Electricians Australia is also backing the call for safer solar, stating in the short term it would be helpful for governments to launch information campaigns ahead of flood season.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIn the longer term, we need to address this through legislation and upgraded standards and we need our state governments and regulators to step up on this issue,&#8221; said Master Electricians CEO Malcolm Richards.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The use of microinverters and optimisers offer other benefits, such as increased flexibility in system design &#8211; but the use of MLPE devices will increase the cost of a system by around 20%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the wake of recent flooding on the east coast, industry group Safer Solar is calling for mandated rapid shutdown technology on solar power systems in Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":60167,"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-60161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Industry Initiative Calls For Safer Solar In Australia - SolarQuotes Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the wake of recent flooding, industry group Safer Solar is calling for mandated rapid shutdown technology on solar power systems.\" \/>\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\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Industry Initiative Calls For Safer Solar In Australia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the wake of recent flooding, industry group Safer Solar is calling for mandated rapid shutdown technology on solar power systems.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/\" \/>\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=\"2022-03-22T20:55:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-22T21:04:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2.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\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\"},\"headline\":\"Industry Initiative Calls For Safer Solar In Australia\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-22T20:55:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-22T21:04:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/\"},\"wordCount\":564,\"commentCount\":3,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/safer-solar-mlpe-mb2405\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/safer-solar-mlpe-2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Solar &amp; 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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 &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; 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":42630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-power-fire-mb1661\/","url_meta":{"origin":60161,"position":1},"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 &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; 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":86215,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/evolution-of-solar\/","url_meta":{"origin":60161,"position":2},"title":"From Wild West to Safe &#038; Sound: The Evolution of Australian Solar","author":"Pat Southwell","date":"September 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This article is for anyone who feels nostalgic about the early days of solar. Whether you own an old system or are an installer working on one, you might be thinking about how to maintain or upgrade it. We\u2019ll look back at the past and see how much has changed,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Installation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A pv system on a house in the 1970s.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/old-house-pv-system.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/old-house-pv-system.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/old-house-pv-system.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/old-house-pv-system.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46360,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-fires-nsw-mb1829\/","url_meta":{"origin":60161,"position":3},"title":"Solar Power System Fires And Blasted Rooftop Isolator Switches","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"January 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"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. Yesterday, Fire and Rescue New South Wales reported it had attended an incident at a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar rooftop DC isolator switch fire","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-fire.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/isolation-switch-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":60161,"position":4},"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 &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; 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":60161,"position":5},"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 &quot;Solar Installation&quot;","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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60161","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=60161"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60168,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60161\/revisions\/60168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}