What to Do in a Solar Emergency Case: We all know that the year 2020 has brought some of the worst natural disasters that any country including Australia has seen. The year came along with intense fires, a global pandemic, and intermittent flooding, all these hits the Australian people in any way. So, this fear of getting in danger has made us think a bit out of the box. So what exactly you should do if you have a solar system and you face certain kinds of problems.
The solar system includes wires and batteries that need to be checked after certain intervals so as to reduce the chances of any mishappening. Sometimes exposed wires, broken panels, or any damage in batteries may create dangerous situations in the future. Make sure you immediately switch off the system if you find any sign of a fault in it.
Is there any guide to managing solar efficiency during an emergency?
Yes, the Clean Energy Council has produced a step-by-step guide that can help you to maintain your system in solar emergencies as well. Here we provide an overview of the plans defined by the solar market.
Advance Planning for Solar Power System Emergency Cases
To increase the lifespan of your system and keep it safe from any natural disaster, you need to plan before it’s too late and look after some precautionary measures as well.
Like, if you need to evacuate, then leave your house immediately. If you do not have time to sort your solar before leaving your property, then take some action as ‘post-emergency management’ strategies. This will surely help you to sort out your solar even after you leave your property.
If you get prior information or adequate warning about any kind of natural emergency which is going to occur in your area further, then, you must follow some precautionary measures so as to protect your solar system in an emergency.
Grid-Connected Systems Procedures
Grid-connected systems have a built-in procedure known as the ‘shutdown procedure’. So, to activate this procedure, you just have to follow some instructions that are already mentioned in your inverter box. The instructions for the shutdown procedure is as follows:
- Firstly, Switch off the solar supply and mains switch directly.
- Then, Switch off the normal mains switch.
- Finally, Switch off the PV array isolator.
Stand-Alone Systems Procedure
There are certain instructions that need to be followed while shutting down a stand-alone system. These steps are:
- Switch off the solar array.
- Switch off the inverter.
- Just follow the instruction for the shutdown mentioned on your battery so as to isolate the battery bank from the system.
- Disable the generator so that it does not get started with the auto-start function.
Solar and Post-Emergency Management Procedures
The most important point to be kept in mind is to never attempt to immediately turn on/ off your solar system once you return home after any post-emergency. Touching the switches without consulting the electricians could result in high voltage electric shock or any emergency. Here the question arises, what steps need to be taken after returning home from post-emergency?
- So, the very first thing you should do is to contact an accredited installer to evaluate the safety of your system and the connecting elements.
- Make sure all the repairs and necessary changes to the system are done after your system has been signed off. Check whether the system is electrically safe and secured by your accredited installer.
- Once your system has been given the green light by the installer, then follow the start-up procedure just like earlier to start receiving your solar benefits again by your system.
We hope that you have liked our solar panel emergency case blog post. If you have liked this post and it helped you to take precaution for any solar electricity emergency case then please share this post over social media so that everyone can get benefited by it.