Solar panel fires: are they a risk?

Solar panels come with an absolutely miniscule risk of fire, and this can be even further reduced by ensuring you choose a highly accredited, trustworthy installer. 

In this guide, we’ll explore the extremely low likelihood of a solar panel system setting on fire, what the most common causes are, and the steps that modern installers are taking to ensure optimal safety. 

If you’re interested in finding out how much you could save on your energy bills with a solar & battery system, just share a few quick details below, and we'll provide an estimate.

Do solar panels ever catch fire?

Yes, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels can catch fire, but this is extremely uncommon.

While it’s true that there are more reports of solar panel fires today than 20 years ago, that’s simply because the number of households adopting solar has skyrocketed.

Between 2018 and 2023, global solar capacity tripled, with solar expected to account for 80% of renewable growth from 2024 to 2030, according to recent figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA). And in February 2025, the number of homes in the UK with solar panels reached 1.5 million.

In the majority of cases, the cause of solar panel fires isn’t the hardware itself, but poor installation, as we go on to explain.

Solar panel fires in the UK

It’s easy to search 'solar panel fire' online and find alarming headlines, but it’s important to keep things in perspective.

According to government data, in the UK there were 66 fires caused by solar panels in the first half of 2023 - but given there were 1.417 million properties (i.e. domestic and commercial) with solar panels by the end of June 2023, this means that only 0.00005% of systems experienced a fire. 

Speaking to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 2024, Tom Raftery, sustainability and PV manager at Bauder, reiterated that the rise in reported solar panel fires is due to the sheer growth in installations. 

He also pointed out that it’s the older, poorly installed and poorly maintained systems that are the most likely candidates for experiencing a fire: “As an industry, we didn't start installing solar panels on a large scale until 2013 or 2014.

"Those systems that are not being maintained are hitting 10 to 12 years old and it is some of these that are causing fires.”

Why do solar panels catch fire?

A 2022 study from the University of Edinburgh found that 50% of solar panel fires are caused by internal issues stemming from faulty installations.

These include poorly installed components, overheating from inadequate ventilation, and electrical faults like poor wiring or damaged cable insulation - all of which highlight the importance of hiring professional installers.

The system’s surrounding environment can also have an impact; there's a higher risk of fires from intensely hot weather, physical damage from hail or falling objects, or animals being able to interfere with solar equipment (check out our guide to solar panel bird proofing).

And neglecting regular solar panel maintenance only exacerbates these risks.

Interestingly, the study found that in one third of PV-related fires, the ignition source was either unknown or unconnected to the solar PV system itself. 

A government-commissioned study by the BRE National Solar Centre in 2018 reached similar findings, concluding that 36% of solar panel fires come from installation issues, 10% come from system design errors, 5% come from faulty products, and the remaining 49% have unknown causes.

Electrical arcing

According to the same University of Edinburgh study, the most common internal issue that leads to solar panel fires is a phenomenon called electrical arcing. In simple terms, arcing happens when electricity 'jumps' through the air across a gap in a circuit, creating a high-energy spark or explosion.

Air is usually considered non-conducting, but when you’ve got two conductors right next to each other and a high potential difference in voltage, this can cause the air molecules to ionize (i.e. separate into positive ions and electrons) - which then allows electricity to travel through the air.

The temperature of an electrical arc is determined by several factors (and in extreme cases it can reach up to 19,400°C), but in most solar panel systems it’s certainly hot enough to set fire to surrounding materials, and melt any nearby copper and aluminium. 

What causes electrical arcing?

The conductive parts of a solar panel system should all be connected, but a clumsy installation can lead to dodgy wiring and loose connections, which causes gaps to form over time. 

Relatedly, loose connections can also expose the electrical contacts to water and oxygen, which causes them to corrode and leads to the build up of resistive heating. Over time, this causes the surrounding materials to deteriorate, eventually leading to breaks in the circuit. 

These small gaps are perfect invitations for electricity to jump through the air, potentially triggering a fire. 

The 2018 study by the BRE National Solar Centre analysed the most common causes of electrical arcing in solar panel systems, and their list of reasons clearly points to improper installation as the root problem:

• Moisture ingress degrading connections in connectors, junction boxes and switches
• Incorrectly crimped connector contacts
• The mating of incompatible plugs and sockets
• Plugs and sockets not fully engaged
• Loose screw terminals within junction boxes or isolator switches
• Poorly soldered joints within a PV module junction box or other junction box defect
• Damage to a component (e.g. broken busbar within a PV module).

How to protect against solar panel fires

The key takeaway from the University of Edinburgh study is that better installation practices substantially lower the risk of fire in all parts of a solar panel system.

As Alistair Bambrook, risk management director at Towergate, noted in the Insurance Times in 2025:  "If solar panels are installed correctly by a certified installer and regularly maintained, they should operate effectively with few issues.

"Problems arise when panels are installed incorrectly, using poor-quality components, or when electrical connections are not secured properly."

Choosing a professional installer with an excellent track record is essential. Look for companies with Flexi-Orb or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation, as well as great reviews from a large number of people.

Crucially, we'd recommend avoiding self-installing your solar panels, as mistakes during setup may lead to loose connections or damaged equipment, as well as missed solar export income.

How do solar panel installers reduce fire risk?

A solid installation process is absolutely critical to preventing solar panel fires.

The best solar panel installers follow strict safety protocols, use high-quality components, and ensure all electrical connections are secure - all of which are essential for keeping your system safe and reliable for years to come.

Let's explore the key measures professional installers take to minimise solar fire risks.

Safer DC isolators

Every solar panel system comes with an inverter, and every inverter comes with a DC isolator, as a safety measure. It’s a switch that disconnects the solar panels from the DC power, allowing for safe maintenance. 

Yet, according to the 2018 study by the BRE National Solar Centre, DC isolators were found to present the greatest fire risk within their database of incidents; “approximately 30% of the incidents recorded in this study were caused by malfunctions within this component”. 

DC isolators used to be mounted outside the inverter, which meant they had to be set up by the installer, and the study found that poor installation “accounts for the majority of DC isolator failures leading to fires or thermal events”. 

The external DC isolators were also more vulnerable to the elements, and systems would sometimes experience the ingress of water into the isolator casing, leading to increased fire risk. 

Fortunately, modern inverters now have DC isolators that are fully integrated, which is a much safer design. Any good installer should be using one of these inverters, as it means they won’t need to set up the DC isolator themselves, and it will also be protected from water ingress.

Ferrule crimps

In all forms of wiring, including solar installations, stranded cables need to be connected to screw terminals or spring connectors. These connections are critical, but if not done properly, they can increase the risk of arcing.

To minimise this risk, the best solar installers use ferrule crimps. A ferrule is a small metal tube, typically made of tin-plated copper, placed over the exposed strands of a wire.

The crimping tool binds the strands together as tightly as possible for a secure and uniform connection. This process stops loose strands and gaps that could cause overheating or arcing.

For solar installations, this small but essential step is a key part of creating a safer, more reliable connection, reducing the likelihood of electrical faults.

Surge protection devices

When you get solar panels installed, the best installers will fit a new consumer unit with a surge protection device (SPD). These devices are critical for protecting your home and system from power surges.

If there’s a surge of electricity from the grid, the SPD will absorb or redirect the excess voltage, blowing the protection device instead of allowing the surge to travel through your home and damage your appliances - or worse, cause a fire.

SPDs protect inverters, cables, and connectors from damage caused by overloads or short circuits.

Are solar panels becoming safer?

We’ve explored how the main cause of solar panel fires is improper installation, not the panels themselves, and how the most likely trigger is a phenomenon called electrical arcing. 

In the early 2010s, the launch of the generous Feed-in Tariff (FiT) led to the rise of cowboy installers.

Many of these companies performed slapdash installations and eventually went out of business, but the dodgy systems they left behind are more likely to be the ones experiencing issues today - particularly those that haven’t received any maintenance. 

The UK’s residential solar scene is still growing, with over 1.5 million households now equipped with solar panels, but systems installed today use better equipment (including much safer DC isolators).

Installers are also held to high standards by the MCS and Flexi-Orb, and the best ones offer crucial maintenance packages - like the Sunsave Guarantee. 

So if you'd like to find out how much you could save on your energy bills with a quality solar & battery system, pop a few quick details into the form below, and we'll provide an estimate.

Solar panel fires: FAQs