Renewables

The importance of fire safety in the Renewable industry

For many years the worlds energy industries had a reliance on oil, gas, coal and nuclear power.  Concerns over the planet, energy security and greenhouse gas emissions has led to an increased use of renewable energy. 

The increased use of renewable energy presents us with a set of new challenges when it comes to fire safety. Although accurately identifying hazards and risks constitutes the crucial first step towards managing and controlling them effectively, it is not necessarily a straightforward task where emerging energy technologies are concerned.

Examples of the key major hazards and risks associated with the renewable energy industries are as follows:

• Biogas, biodiesel and bioethanol production - Fire and explosion during large-scale production.
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) - Presence of large volumes of CO2 which is known to blind IR3 flame detectors. 
• Hydrogen generation, distribution, storage and use - Fire and explosion during transportation, storage and use.
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG) import and regasification - Fire and explosion during transportation, storage and regasification (e.g. when feeding gas directly from ships into the grid).
• Offshore renewables (wind, wave, tidal) - Transformer substation fires.

Many of the world's largest renewable energy companies trust Micropack flame detectors to protect their most valuable assets.