What Are the Difficulties in Doing EN 13501-2 Fire Resistance Testing on Double-glass Photovoltaic Panels?

The structure of double-glass photovoltaic panels:

Glass cover, packaging materials, solar cells, glass back, frame, junction box

According to the structure, the double-glass photovoltaic panel has glass on both the top and bottom, so there are several main issues to consider when doing fire resistance testing

ŸGlass breakage problem:

The two pieces of glass in the double-glass photovoltaic panel are easy to break under the action of high-temperature flames. The thermal expansion coefficient of glass is different from that of the internal battery cells and packaging materials. When heated, internal stress will be generated due to the inconsistent expansion of each material. When this stress exceeds the bearing limit of the glass, the glass will break. For example, during the rapid rise of flame temperature, the glass may crack due to rapid thermal expansion. Once the glass breaks, the flame is more likely to contact the internal battery cells and packaging materials, changing the spread path and speed of the fire, and increasing the uncertainty of the test results.

ŸThe entire photovoltaic panel is bent due to heat:

Solar cells may experience thermal runaway in high temperature environments. When the temperature of the cell is too high, its internal electrical properties will change, causing the overall structure to bend.

EN 13501-2 Fire resistance test – Standard name:

EN 13501-2Fire classification of construction products and building elements-Part 2: Classification using data from fire resistance tests, excluding ventilation services

EN 13501-2 Fire resistance test – Product scope:

Load-bearing elements without fire separation function: walls, floors, roofs, beams, columns, stairs,

Load-bearing elements with fire separation function: walls, floors, roofs, raised floors

Non-load-bearing components or engineering parts: partitions, facades (curtain walls) and external walls, fire doors and shutters, smoke doors,

Conveyor systems and their closures, penetration seals, linear joint seals, service ducts and shafts, chimneys

info@CASfire.cn

RZ202411