Re: [RE-wrenches] Fire fighters safety class

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 11:26:10 -0700

Hey Charles, would you direct me to your reference "you’ll notice that foam does not work and should not be used."? I've found reference in this and other articles that states roughly 'like tarps, foam can not be relied upon to completely reduce array voltage to zero', but no where can I find the statement that states for the average Fire Fighter, a heavy foam is not a fast, safe and effective method of reducing array voltage in a PV array in an emergency situation - using equipment readily available. IMHO 20VDC is much preferable to 480VDC.

Thank You. db
 


Dan Brown
Foxfire Energy Corp.
Renewable Energy Systems
(802)-483-2564
www.Foxfire-Energy.com
NABCEP #092907-44


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Fire fighters safety class
From: Charles Picard <cpic...@solarcity.com>
Date: Tue, September 20, 2016 1:27 pm
To: "palumbo1...@gmail.com" <palumbo1...@gmail.com>
Cc: "re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org"
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>

Hi Dave,
 
These are some great questions you’re asking, and you’ve prompted some interesting responses. I’ve been partnered up with a career firefighter for the past 2yrs teaching this subject, and have a few thoughts for you:
 
Review the NFPA’s recommended best practices for interactions with PV, you can find that free training here https://lms.ulknowledgeservices.com/catalog/display.resource.aspx?resourceid=352901
 
The training is based on this research: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi_67iyt57PAhWDTSYKHd57DREQFggjMAA&url="">
 
That will get you headed in the right direction. As my colleague says, you can still “Put the wet stuff on the red stuff” but you need to understand the rules you’re playing by.  This study does address how arrays may be de-energized, you’ll notice that foam does not work and should not be used.
 
You’ll likely find the level of understanding on Li-Ion technology is woefully lacking, even amongst PV industry professionals. If you’re going to tackle the subject, I recommend doing a little research on the types of construction and chemistries used. Too often folks lead their presentations with exploding hoverboards or stories about the FAA ban. In reality these are apples to oranges comparisons. For the Powerwall specifically, they have published an Emergency Response Guide that is publically available. They have also released results of a burn-test study that is very informative.
 
There are a few YouTube videos floating around as well. Captain Matt Paiss has some publicly available, and recently collaborated with the IAFF and IREC to create some online training content that looks very good.
 
Feel free to contact me directly with any questions.
 
 
Charles Picard
Sr. Compliance Engineer | SolarCity
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