Whether on the roof of a caravan or towed in a trailer, a tragedy with a solar panel serves as a dark memory to ensure that the PV modules are properly stowed away or fastened.
With a large surface, solar collectors are effectively heavy dragons with sharp corners.
On the evening of December 8, 2024, a 49-year-old Canberra man drove east along the Burley Griffin Way in Galong near Yass when an object was supposedly loosened from a passing caravan that smashed the windshield and in the head hit. Although it was not mentioned in the original report, the article was a solar panel. Unfortunately, he died before the emergency services arrived.
This week Sydney, a 32-year-old male driver from the church point, was accused of having driven a invited trailer unsafe, which caused death in terms of the matter.
The ABC explains:
“The police claim that Mr. Talkder was hit by a solar panel that was towed in the other direction by a portable power plant.”
Regardless of whether it was connected to a caravan or a portable power plant in a trailer that it was supposedly not properly secured.
The driver will appear before the young local court in April.
Other deaths and too many almost mistakes
In October 2020, three people lost to life in Tasmania and four were taken to the hospital after a driver had lost control when they tried to avoid solar collectors that were towed by a caravan in the opposite direction.
Four deaths (at least) and several injuries are shocking, but it is a little miracle that more people were not killed on Australian roads from the Heftward Sonnen collector. Apart from these tragic deaths, there have been several near -drains in this kind, and only one is too many. A few examples:
In December 2020, a solar panel came from the roof of a caravan near Eastern Creek in the West Sydney.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x8bf8hrhai
In March 2021, a Ute, who dragged a box trailer on the Gateway motorway in Bracken Ridge in Brisbane to the south, could have ended very badly when two solar collectors loosened in the trailer and a vehicle that drove behind it hit a vehicle.
A driver is narrowly injured after sun collectors loosened from a Ute on the goal this morning. The police appealed to the driver to report. https://t.co/gqit9wf0no pic.twitter.com/diijqbw098
– Police in Queensland (@QLD policy) March 3, 2021
Further caravans and campers switch to the use of solar collectors on their travels instead of loud, dirty petrol/diesel generators. This is great, but when panels are attached to a vehicle, a caravan or a trailer, proper attachment/securing is of the utmost importance. And if solar installers (and others) go through their business, you must safely pay attention to the transport of modules.
Screw or adhesive karawana collectors (or both)?
If we have written in the past about such incidents and in relation to the safety of the caravans solar panel, this was often followed by debates, which can be better attached to – screws, glue or screw and glue. I still see Panel Mounts on sale via Ebay and other online marketplaces that are only advertised as adhesive.
The experienced solar installer of SQ, Anthony, has some thoughts on this topic:
“Some installers insist that the glue is good enough and refuse to make holes out of fear of water leaks. In such a dynamic environment with heat, vibration, different materials and cyclonic wind speed, you must ensure that the panels are mechanically defined. Driving TEK screws directly into the alloy frame (ensure that you don’t hit the glass) is a perfect way to fit the roof. “
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia gave the following advice in 2020:
- Appropriate strength and durability of fastening points for the expected vibration and wind load during the trip.
- Mechanical fastening (in addition to adhesives and/or sealant).
- Proper preparation of surfaces for adhesives (as required).
- Proper curing times during the use of adhesive products.
Incidentally, Anthony’s Council is part of a guide that he put together a little more than a year ago, how to add solar energy to a caravan, motorhome or motorhome. It is really important information. Although the right solar equipment is pretty safe, it can also be made catastrophic, even if small systems are involved. This goes beyond fixing risks beyond fixing problems, since problems such as poor cabling can damage the equipment or start a fire. And in a small closed room like a caravan, things can quickly go very pear -shaped.
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