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Beware "shonks" in solar industry

EXPERTS are warning to be wary of "shonks" as investigations continue into SA's first fire in a solar system.

 

The Office of the Technical Regulator and the MFS are investigating the Coffin Bay fire, which caused $30,000 in damage to the system and the shed on which it was mounted.

The system was still producing energy when investigators arrived, as shown by electrical arcing at the site of destroyed isolation fuses.

They believe the fire had grown over a number of days before being discovered.

There have been almost 100,000 solar systems installed in South Australia, mainly due to the State Government's generous feed-in tariff scheme.

Clean Energy Council director of strategy Kane Thornton said the industry's rapid growth meant it was inevitable some "shonks" would slip through.

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Solar system retailer Love Energy managing director Richard Mintz said he had major concerns about the quality of advertised cheap systems.

"We are still seeing a lot of stuff advertised that is extremely cheap," he said.

"You have to cut corners in order to move these cheap systems for the prices people are getting them for.

"I don't know what has happened in this particular case but I'd assume it is either a faulty panel or a poor install."

A spokeswoman for the OTR said its most recent audit of solar installations had uncovered "low-risk" compliance issues.

 

To read the full story, visit Adelaide Now's website.

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