Norfolk County Council closely monitoring school solar panels after three fires in Suffolk
The fires have led Suffolk County Council to switch off panels at 80 schools across its county.
Solar panels on school roofs across the county are being monitored closely after a spate of fires broke out above classrooms across the border.
Norfolk County Council has confirmed it is carrying out regular inspections on systems above the region’s schools after three separate blazes happened in Suffolk in less than a year.
The fires have led Suffolk County Council to switch off panels at 80 schools across its county.
Elsewhere in the country, other regions – such as Northumberland – have also switched off panels following fires.
While Norfolk officials confirmed that there had been no reports of incidents within its own area amid an ongoing heatwave, they said they are “monitoring this closely”.
A County Hall spokeswoman added: “We are aware of the situation in Suffolk, but we have not received any reports of incidents, concerns or safety issues relating to solar panels at Norfolk’s schools.
“The safety of children and staff is always our first priority.
“The small number of schools with solar panels that are part of our building maintenance programme will be inspected regularly and we would expect all schools to carry out regular inspections.
“Solar panel installations form part of the permanent electrical installations on the site and, as such, should be installed professionally, inspected and maintained on a regular basis.”
The council said at least 23 schools in Norfolk have solar panels.
These include the St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School in Costessey, Mattishall Primary School in Dereham, Sheringham High School and the Colman Junior School in Norwich.
Last month a fire broke out at Sidegate Lane Primary School in Ipswich when the building was evacuated after a staff member said they could smell smoke.
At the time, the fire brigade said a full investigation was not required “as it has been confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the cause was a solar panel on the roof”.
Panels have also been blamed for a fire at Brooklands Primary School in nearby Brantham at the start of the Easter holidays, and another at East Bergholt Primary School in Colchester last August.
Experts have said the fires are likely caused by problems with cables or the units which connect the panels to the grid.
The fires have sparked concerns about the environmental strategy being rolled out by energy secretary, Ed Miliband.
His department is understood to have paid for further panels to be installed at 250 more schools and colleges around England.
However a spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told the Daily Mail that the “risk of fire from solar panels is very low” and that none of the fires in Suffolk or elsewhere in the country were a result of systems installed as part of the recent Great British Energy programme.