Why Maintenance and Testing Matter More Than You Might Think

By Electrix Renewable  |  May 2026  |  6 min read

Solar panels are a sensible investment for schools, colleges and education centres. They reduce energy bills, they give students something tangible to engage with when it comes to sustainability, and they earn a return over many years of quiet, low-maintenance operation. We install them ourselves and we believe in them.

But low maintenance does not mean no maintenance. And for roof mounted solar on public buildings in particular, there is a safety consideration that does not always get the attention it deserves. This post explains what that risk is, why it is different from most other electrical faults in a building, and why we think now is a good time for every school in the area to have their solar installation properly inspected.

What happened at Teignmouth Library

On Sunday 19th April 2026, five fire engines from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service were called to Teignmouth Library after multiple members of the public reported a roof fire. Crews from Dawlish, Torquay and Newton Abbot attended, along with an aerial ladder platform from Torquay. Flames were issuing from the roof when they arrived.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a fault associated with the solar panel installation on the roof. Firefighters had to  isolate the solar panels as part of their response. Thanks to the speed of that response, the fire was prevented from spreading inside the building.

The library remained closed for inspection the following day. It was a serious incident, and it happened on a public building just a few miles from schools and colleges that have similar solar installations.

Why solar panel faults are different

When most electrical systems develop a fault, there is a mechanism to interrupt the supply. A circuit breaker trips. A fuse blows. The current stops flowing and the risk is contained.

Solar panels do not work that way.

As long as there is daylight, a solar panel will generate electricity. There is no trip switch between the sun and the panels. There is no way to cut the supply at source. Even if an inverter shuts down or a circuit breaker operates downstream, the panels themselves continue to produce DC voltage wherever they are wired together. Firefighters arriving at the Teignmouth Library incident had to manually isolate the system as part of their response precisely because of this.

Why solar faults can go undetected

A developing fault in a solar panel installation does not always trigger an alarm or shut anything down. Degraded wiring, corroded connections, damaged insulation or a failing battery component can all create conditions where heat builds up gradually, particularly on a flat roof in summer. There may be no visible sign and no interruption to the electricity generation being monitored inside the building. By the time a problem becomes obvious, it can already be serious.

This is not a reason to remove solar panels from school rooftops. But it is a reason to inspect them properly and on a regular basis, in the same way you would test fire alarms, check electrical installations, and service boilers.

The flat roof factor

A significant number of school buildings in Devon were built in the post-war decades with flat or low-pitch roofs. These became the standard choice for solar installations because the panels can be laid flat or at a shallow angle without being visible from the street, and they are easier to mount without major structural alterations.

The trade-off is that flat roofs also tend to accumulate debris, hold moisture for longer, and are harder to inspect informally. A homeowner with panels on a pitched roof might notice something from the garden. A school caretaker is unlikely to be regularly checking a flat roof that requires access equipment to reach. Faults can develop and go unnoticed for months.

What proper maintenance and testing involves

A thorough inspection of a school solar installation should cover several areas that are not assessed during routine monitoring of generation figures.

• Visual inspection of all panels and fixings, looking for physical damage, discolouration, delamination or any signs of heat stress.
• Check of all DC wiring, connectors and cable management for damage, degradation or animal interference, which is more common on flat roofs than most people expect.
• Inspection of the inverter and any battery storage components, including ventilation and the condition of connections.
• Thermal imaging, which can identify hotspots in wiring or within panels that are not visible to the naked eye and that are often a precursor to a more serious fault.
• Review of earthing and isolation arrangements, confirming that the system can be isolated safely in an emergency.
• Check of monitoring systems to confirm they are still reporting accurately and that any alerts are being received.

This is not something that can be assessed from inside the building by looking at a generation dashboard. It requires a qualified installer or engineer to physically test and inspect the system properly.

The case for making it part of annual maintenance

Most schools already carry out annual or periodic inspections of their electrical systems under the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations. An EICR, or Electrical Installation Condition Report, is a standard part of school property management.

Solar panel inspections should sit alongside this as a routine part of the same annual maintenance programme.

The argument for doing so is straightforward. The cost of an annual inspection is modest. The cost of a fire, in terms of building damage, displacement of students, disruption to staff, reputational impact on the school, and the potential risk to life, is not. Teignmouth Library was fortunate that the fire service responded quickly and that the fire did not reach the interior of the building. Not every incident ends that way.

Building managers and facilities teams who include solar inspection in their annual maintenance schedule also have a documented record that demonstrates due diligence. That matters both for insurance purposes and for any future investigation should something go wrong.

Our inspection offer for schools and colleges in the area

Solar inspection for schools, colleges and education centres in Devon

We are currently offering an initial inspection for all schools, colleges and further education centres across Devon and the South West. Our MCS accredited team will carry out a full visual and technical inspection of your solar installation, provide a written report on its condition, and advise on any remedial work or ongoing maintenance requirements.

There is no obligation to commission any further work.

Call us on 01803 615160 or get in touch via our website to arrange a visit at a time that works around your school calendar.

We can work around term times, INSET days or holiday periods. For larger sites with multiple buildings or arrays, we can carry out a phased survey to minimise any disruption.

What to do in the meantime

While you are arranging a formal inspection, there are a few steps that school facilities managers can take straight away.

• Check that your solar monitoring system is active and that the correct contacts are receiving alerts, particularly email or SMS notifications of system faults or generation anomalies.
• Confirm with your site team that the location of the solar isolator switches is documented and known to all relevant staff. In an emergency, the fire service will need to know where these are.
• Review whether your current insurance policy and fire risk assessment specifically references your solar installation. If they do not, they should.
• Check when the system was last formally inspected. If you do not have a record of a recent inspection, treat that as a reason to arrange one.

If you are unsure about any of this, the simplest step is to pick up the phone and speak to us. We are local, we know the types of buildings schools in this area typically have, and we are not going to try and sell you anything you do not need.

To arrange your inspection or to discuss solar maintenance for your school, call us on 01803 615160, email admin@electrix-ltd.co.uk, or visit our contact page to send us a message.