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A roof isn’t a safe place for anyone. But one covered by a photovoltaic solar system can be especially unsafe for firefighters due to the risk of electrocution, according to Matt Paiss, fire captain with the San Jose Fire Department.

That’s why an Oregon Building Codes Division committee tasked with creating the nation’s first statewide code for solar installations is considering the requirement of a 2-foot pathway from the edge of the solar array to allow firefighters space to perform their duties.

But according to Andrew Koyaanisqatsi, president of Solar Energy Solutions, Oregon’s residential solar industry can’t spare an inch, much less 2 feet, because installers already are at their limits to fit large solar systems on small residential roofs.

“A 2-foot setback would be catastrophic to residential solar,” Koyaanisqatsi said. “One hundred percent of my installations would not be code compliant under this rule.”

The setback rule was inspired by solar photovoltaic created by California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in 2008. Paiss, who worked on the task force that created the guidelines, said the reason for the setback rule is twofold: firefighters need open spaces on the roof where they can cut holes to let smoke and hot gases out of the building, and maneuvering around the modules in daylight hours can be dangerous since solar modules remain electrified even if they are shut off.

“The more modules you have wired together, the more the voltage will increase,” Paiss said. “And there’s no way for those to be shut down on a modular level. We need the (solar manufacturing) industry to develop a system where the modules can isolate themselves individually.”

Firefighters are trained how to identify whether a roof has a photovoltaic system and to use large, dark mats to cover rooftop panels to avoid electric shock. YouTube offers created by Paiss that show how firefighters can stay safe around photovoltaic panels.

But documented U.S. cases of firefighters being electrocuted by photovoltaic systems while fighting fires are few and far between, according to Paiss, who has never had it happen in his jurisdiction. Lt. Allen Oswalt of the Portland Fire Bureau said despite his city having an excess of homes with photovoltaic systems, he is not aware of any incidents within his bureau where electrocution by photovoltaics has been an issue.

“If it’s the safety of firefighters that is the concern, we would have to ban metal roofs,” Koyaanisqatsi said. “If it’s ventilation cutting that’s the concern, we’d have to ban tile and slate roofs. It’s all unsafe when you’re up on a roof. It’s not right that solar is being singled out.”

Koyaanisqatsi said that because photovoltaics take up a huge area of roof space but produce only a fraction of a typical home’s energy production, solar installers need every inch to make the system economically viable for their clients. In addition, most roofs are already limited space-wise due to orientation, shading and building structures such as gables and chimneys.

“My brother is a firefighter and I want him to be safe,” said Keith Knowles, president of LiveLight Energy. “But there needs to be a balance of renewable energy business needs versus what is really necessary for a firefighter to fight a fire.”

According to to the solar codes committee by David McClelland, solar program coordinator at the Energy Trust of Oregon, a system installed on a home with a 30-foot-by-17-foot south-facing roof could support a maximum 5.5-kilowatt photovoltaic system, which would produce 6000 kilowatt-hours per year. If a 2-foot setback were required on that same roof, a maximum 3.7-kilowatt photovoltaic system could be installed that would produce 4,000 kwhs per year, a 33-percent reduction in output.

“Any changes to setbacks will have an impact on the (solar) industry,” said Susan Jowaiszas, Energy Trust’s marketing manager. “The impact on residential will be substantial based on the outcome of this code.”

In communities in California that have adopted the solar installation guidelines, which recommend a 3-foot setback for residences, Paiss said solar installers have reported a 30- to 40-percent decrease in interest in installing rooftop photovoltaics. Though he does not support a 3-foot setback, Paiss does believe that a shorter setback should be required until solar manufacturers can create smaller systems or systems that don’t pose as great a risk of electrocution.

“Codes drive technology,” Paiss said. “I understand the concerns of the solar industry, but it’s not our job to respond to their concerns. It’s their job to respond to safety codes.”

Paiss said he is concerned more about the high voltage of photovoltaic systems than about setbacks. Last year in Germany, the world’s largest roof-mounted solar-panel array in Burstadt was destroyed after a fire broke out. The fire appeared to have started on the array and spread to the frame it was mounted on.

“I don’t want (the solar industry) to get a black eye because of a situation where a PV system starts a fire,” Paiss said. “The fire in Germany got very political. This is as much an issue of high voltage as an issue of pathways.”

But until a novel solution is discovered, a code will be written. And if that code contains a 2-foot setback, Koyaanisqatsi worries that other states will follow Oregon’s lead, killing residential solar projects around the country in the process.

“This code has nationwide implications,” Koyaanisqatsi said. “I don’t know why people are being consolatory and passive about this issue. Other states are looking to Oregon, and they will base their codes on ours.”

The Building Codes Division committee’s work is ongoing, and no date has been set for when it will finalize a draft of the code. The final draft would be subject to a public hearing.