QBE's UK fire-service research recorded 171 fires involving solar panels in 2024, compared with 107 in 2022. The figures underline the importance of PV installation and maintenance, while the commercial and industrial incidents also raise an important question about limiting loss after ignition.
AllShield Blue is now FM 4484 Approved — the world’s first coating that makes roofs fire-safe and insurable under PV systems. A breakthrough in solar roof safety.
For insurers and risk engineers, rooftop PV fire safety starts with the complete roof assembly. Discover how independent fire testing, defined FM Approved roof-PV assemblies and passive fire separation support informed project decisions.
PV fire risks don’t stop at borders. In Austria hail, in Spain heat, in Poland rapid installs, triggers differ, but spread is always through combustible roofs. AllShield BarrierSheet cover boards stop fire penetration and make solar rooftops insurable across Europe.
Coverboard, fire barrier board, non-combustible board and roof protection board are often used in the same conversations, but they are not technical synonyms. Understanding the terminology helps designers specify the required function and supporting evidence more accurately.
Inspections such as the UK’s IET Code of Practice or the US NEC improve PV safety. But none of them can prevent every incident over 25 years. Only a non-combustible roof ensures that a small PV fault never becomes a catastrophic fire.
FM 4484 is the new FM Approvals fire-safety standard for roofs with solar panels. It defines how retrofit coatings are tested under realistic PV-fire conditions — setting a global benchmark for insurable solar roofs. AllShield Blue is FM 4484 Approved.
Solar panels on flat commercial roofs deliver sustainable energy, but they also introduce new fire risks. International investigations (IEA PVPS, BRE, NFPA, Australian regulators) show that technical failures combined with combustible roofing materials are the main drivers of rooftop PV fires. In this artikle we discuss the 10 leading causes of fire in commercial PV systems.
Solar panels on flat roofs come in many types: glass–glass, glass–foil, plastic and more. Each reacts differently to fire - but all depend on the roof beneath them. AllShield makes roofs inherently non-combustible, ensuring solar energy is both safe and insurable.
Q2 2025 saw a surge in rooftop solar (PV) fires across warehouses, factories and farms worldwide. This AllShield tracker lists each incident with date, location, likely cause and impact, plus verified sources and expert insight—so insurers and owners can benchmark risk and improve safety.
A roof assembly incorporating AllShield BarrierSheet has achieved BROOF(t1) classification under EN 13501-5, supported by an Efectis classification report. The result provides documented external fire-performance evidence for a defined construction, relevant to commercial roof design and refurbishment.
From January–March 2025 we tracked significant rooftop PV fire incidents worldwide on commercial and agricultural buildings. Each entry lists date, what burned, where, suspected cause when known, and notable consequences like roof damage, smoke, water-damage, or PV debris.
