Caution Solar Panels: Tesla Systems Caused U.S. Fire

Walmart and Amazon say Tesla systems cause fires on rooftops in their stores or warehouses. Companies sued Tesla.

Фото: Depositphotos

Last year, David Burek, a resident of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, smelled burning in the attic near the bedroom of his little sons. He climbed the stairs and saw a molten connecting wire from solar panels mounted on the roof of his house. Firefighters found that the flame burned through the roof and the support beam. Fortunately, the rain put out all this.

A month later, the roof of Ken Tomasello's house in Waldorf, Maryland flared up, causing part of the ceiling to collapse on the bed. This ultimately led to such a fire, smoke and water damage that Tomasello and his wife had to stay at the hotel for more than a year.

The two houses had something in common: SolarCity, currently a division of Tesla Inc. Elona Mask. The company is installing solar panels on the roofs. Although these are just a couple of relatively small incidents at the company with 400 000 solar consumers, they cast doubt on the safety of Tesla's solar systems.

Tesla has contacted homeowners across the US to warn that they need preventative maintenance. The company states that the restoration efforts are aimed at ensuring that the life of the systems is from 10 to 20 years.

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Tesla bought SolarCity in 2016. It is losing market share by reporting the installation of all 29 megawatts in the second quarter, compared with a maximum of more than 200 in 2016. The disadvantages are becoming more apparent as the popularity of solar energy soars in the US and around the world.

Sarah Wilder, director of curriculum development and training at Solar Energy International, a nonprofit organization specializing in technical training, says that a lack of skilled workers can lead to poor system quality. According to Wilder, faulty components, poor manufacturing, wiring, or a combination of them, can cause a fire.

Now the fires are leading to legal action. Amazon said last week that in June 2018, the Tesla system was also used on the roof of one of its southern California warehouses, calling it a “single incident”, which it reviewed as all 11 other solar systems installed for this company generate energy.

Earlier this month, Walmart sued Tesla, saying the company was unable to meet industry standards when installing solar systems in hundreds of stores and caused fires in at least seven of them, including two in May 2018. The companies issued a statement saying they were “looking forward to solving all problems” and “resuming Tesla's solar panels in Walmart stores.”

Фото: Depositphotos

After the fires in Massachusetts and Maryland, two homeowner insurers, Citation Insurance Co. and Allstate Corp., accused Tesla of negligence and breach of contract due to fires. Each of them sued Tesla and Wallingford, Connecticut-based Amphenol Corp., which manufactures electrical connectors, including those used in Tesla installations.

“We believe that these trials have no basis”, — Amphenol said. Although Tesla declined to comment on complaints, she denied allegations in the Citation trial.

Tesla expressed concern about Amphenol connectors, which the company says are more prone to failure. The email says that even solar panels using these connectors have a low degree of ignition.

“Although we strive for zero risk for all our products,— Tesla said — this risk level is less dangerous for households than a home washer or dryer. ”

In a January lawsuit in Charles County, Maryland, the district court, insurer Ken Tomasello, Allstate, said he was trying to recover at least 300 000 dollars that he had paid to compensate for his losses from the fire.

“When I heard about the fires at Walmart, I was not at all surprised — Tomasello said in an interview. “I’m sure there are other homes that have had experiences similar to ours.”

In his April lawsuit at the New Bedford District Court in Massachusetts, insurer David and Stephanie Burek, Citation, said he had sued about 12 000 dollars he had paid to the couple due to fire losses.

A year after the fire, Burek posted photos of the damage on Facebook along with a warning to friends and family: “I warn you against using Tesla or any solar company. This can certainly save you money, but it can potentially cost you a lot more. For us, our family is much more valuable than any amount that we would ever save. ”

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