Why The Recent BBC Morning Live Investigations Matters

And How SolarTherm UK is Responding

The recent BBC Morning Live segment exploring a potential link between solar panel installations and fires has stirred concern among homeowners and the wider public alike. At a time when rooftop solar uptake is booming, such reports naturally raise questions about safety, responsibility and best practice. 

As a committed provider of solar energy solutions, SolarTherm UK alongside the wider Silvercrest Energy Group welcomes the questions now being raised and we feel we can embrace the opportunity to clarify how proper installation and maintenance make all the difference. After all, as one of the few ‘original’ early days MCS registered companies, having installed over 10k of installations, with our batteries and inverters almost always installed into attic spaces, roof voids, landings and airing cupboards. 

So it’s refreshing but maybe a little too late that fire safety is only now being discussed by the relevant bodies. 

What We Know So Far: Fires Linked to Solar Panels – The Facts

• According to recent data published by QBE Insurance, UK fire services attended 171 incidents involving solar installations in 2024. 
• The majority of reported incidents in 2024 occurred on residential properties.
• Analysis of fire origin points shows common culprits of inverters, DC cabling and connectors and solar panels themselves, with inverters causing the majority of issues. Batteries – particularly lithium ion batteries also were the cause of some issues. 
• Experts within the solar industry have pointed to poor installation practices, inadequate ventilation around the inverter, substandard wiring and connections, lack of maintenance and monitoring and the absence of the correct safety switches and arc-fault detection systems as major risk factors.

These findings align with the concerns raised by BBC Morning Live: while solar power remains a crucial part of the UK’s clean energy transitions, safety lapses – not the technology itself – appear to be the issue in many of the incidents. 

SolarTherm UK: Why We Believe Solar Can – and Should – Remain Safe

Here at SolarTherm UK we believe solar energy remains one of the most effective ways to reduce a household’s carbon footprint, and more importantly during economic and a cost of living crisis. 

It’s now fact that Solar PV is the cheapest form of electricity and the only alternative when it comes to an alternative power source in your home. 

Installations need to be executed to the highest standards and homeowners must commit to on-going maintenance – most of which can be conducted themselves, but a periodic check by a qualified electrician or us should now be a priority. 

Here’s how we ensure safety and reliability at SolarTherm UK:

• Certified installers only – The Silvercrest Energy Group, and its subsidiaries such as Solartherm UK have been MCS accredited since 2010, meaning we adhere to stringent quality and safety protocols, and have had sixteen annual audits since joining. These audits range from 2-3 days and alongside our quality management system ensure we are undertaking works exactly as they should be done.
• Best practice installation standards – we ensure inverters and DC cabling are fitted in well ventilated, accessible locations; that cabling is properly protected and insulated and that fire safety measures are correctly installed. We as NICEIC self certification electricians and PV engineers have quality measures to meet and often these are surpassed. 
• Post installation inspection and maintenance – we and importantly unlike most other companies undertake a full cable and on site survey pre installation. We undertake a detailed in house design and our engineers are available post installation and also now recommend and offer regular electrical saftey checks. We offer cleaning and functional tests to clean dirt, debris and dust build up, wiring issues or panel damage hopefully before they have an opportunity for fatigue or failure. 
• Customer education and support – we can advise homeowners on how to care for their systems, what warning signs to look out for and how to respond in case of issues. We can offer upgrades of older systems equipment. 
• Up to date component selection  – in the early days when Soalrtherm UK first started installing Solar panels, it’s now clear that the equipment available to us was back then was not very sophisticated. We really pushed hard on Solaredge technologies and as such became at one point the UK strategy partner and an absolute advocate of Solaredge. From 2012 to late 2018 almost all of our systems included Solaredge equipment and therefore all of the systems benefit from safety features such as a bolt drop to 1v in the event of grid outage, fire, lighting strikes etc, thus reducing the risk of failure and fire considerably. The quality build of the equipment also lowers manufacturing defects and premature degradation. And consequently we have never had safety concerns on any service visit or need to power down a system. 

In our experience, when designed, installed and maintained properly, rooftop solar systems remain a safe, reliable and sustainable investment. 

Responding Responsibly to the Risk – Why the Industry Must Act

It’s undeniable: the rise in solar panel fires as reported in the UK shows systemic problems – not necessarily with solar power itself, but with how some companies operate and their installation practices. 

For the wider industry, landlords and homeowners, this means:

• Prioritising accredited installers
• Recognising that solar systems are complex electrical installation, not simple plug and play upgrades and need to be handled accordingly
• Committing to regular inspections, cleaning and maintenance
• Incorporating fire safety planning (ventilation, safe inverter placement, proper cabling and accessible safety switches)
• Encouraging transparent reporting and data sharing when incidents do occur, to build a better understanding and produce prevention strategies

As solar adoption increases – especially under government Net Zero targets – good practice must be the baseline, not the exception. 

Our Message to Homeowners and Potential Customers

To anyone now reconsidering solar because of the recent media coverage, don’t turn away, just ensure you are asking the right questions. Ask your installer:

• Are you accredited or certified?
• Where will inverters and cabling go? How will they be ventilated and protected?
• What maintenance or inspection comes with the installation?
• Are the panels, inverter, cabling and safety devices of high quality and from accredited suppliers?
• What support do I get after installation, to keep the system safe and efficient over time?

At SolarTherm UK, we hold ourselves to these standards, and believe this is how solar remains not just a clean energy choice, but a safe and dependable one. We also suggest anyone installing a Solar embed generator into their building opt for only the very best of equipment. That the panels are safeguarded on the roof with a pest mesh. It’s important that birds and squirrels don’t nest under the panels. Mainly as the nesting material will become very dry and flammable in the warmer months and often we find the MC4 connectors on roof surrounding this material which often contains brittle, dry grass and twigs, paper and fibres and this alone could be a trigger point with a faulty connector. 

Using a company registered with MCS, CHAS, TrustMark among other industry quality boards, doesn’t always mean a company is experienced in designing and maintaining Solar PV systems. After all there’s no replacement for an experienced ’been there, seen it done it’ installer. 

At Solartherm UK, we can service and maintain the system, offer upgrade support advice. For larger and older systems we can change out the roof connection points, inverters, isolators and any damaged or fatigued cable, leaving you with a refreshed and updated system.

 If you would like to book a System Check, contact us via our Customer Support Helpdesk direct on 01268 552868, or visit or live web chat or send us an email: [email protected], or visit our blog: The Secret to Long-Lasting Solar Panels? Smart Maintenance for more information on what to be looking for yourself. 

Your home. Your energy. Your future.