The modern safety training now required in solar and wind energy which may not have been considered before.
In 2017, 17% of global energy growth came from renewable sources, such as solar and wind energy and this is the largest increase ever recorded. A huge growth in solar and wind energy means that there are fewer skilled workers ready to carry out the work involved and while the number of accidents occurring increases, new safety issues are being recognized, which may not have been considered before.
For example, the risk of electrocution for any fire-fighters who must now be trained to understand how solar panels work and how to protect themselves before learning any fire-fighting techniques. One unique problem here is the inability to switch off a solar panel when the sun is the intended source of energy.
During daylight, there can be enough voltage and current to injure or even kill a firefighter who comes into contact with the energized conductors (Matthew Paiss, fire engineer, San Jose Fire Department).
As new risks continue to be identified, new or recommended forms of prevention continue to be introduced. For younger developing industries such as wind and solar energy it is becoming more important to take advice from older industries. For example, according to Andy Holt, head of global projects and services at GE Renewable Energy:
There’s a whole climbing industry out there, people who climb mountains, TV towers; there’s a lot of working at heights in the world. We reach out to those industries because they’re often ahead of us.
The eBook here provides quality information on understanding:
- Some of the unique or mixture of common risks involved in wind and solar energy.
- Modern, successful methods of preventing and dealing with safety issues involved in wind and solar energy.