Worldwide scientific landscape on fires in photovoltaic

Abstract

The rapid growth of photovoltaic (PV) technology in recent years called for a comprehensive assessment of the global scientific landscape on fires associated with PV energy installations. This study examines the scientific literature indexed in Scopus from 1983 to 2023. It reveals a striking increase in output since 2011, with nearly one hundred publications in the most recent year under review. This growth of interest has occurred in parallel with the global expansion of photovoltaics. The majority of studies in this field are classified as engineering, with 34% of publications in this area. The USA leads the way with over 160 publications, followed by China with 125. Two institutions in the USA are particularly prominent in this field: Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico with 22 publications, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado with 16 publications. The second institution is the University of Science and Technology of China, which has published 17 articles on the subject. A close examination of the evolution of keywords reveals a remarkable transformation in the scientific landscape over the past 10 years, from 2013 to 2023. The evolution of keywords suggests a maturation in the understanding of fire risks associated with photovoltaic energy. A total of seven scientific communities have been identified in which these works are grouped according to their keywords. These include Fire and Energy Storage, PV faults, Fire resistance, Fire hazard, Fire detectors, Deep learning, and Fire safety. It has been found that fires caused by PV installations are not listed as a cause of fire starts. This should be taken into account when conducting preventive analyses of this potential danger, particularly in light of the possible development of agrivoltaics, where facilities will be mainly located in the natural environment.