A survey by global industrial insurer QBE in Great Britain found that the number of fires is rising nearly twice as fast as the number of new photovoltaic installations. After DC cabling and connectors, the most common causes are solar modules, battery storage systems, and inverters.
Industrial insurer QBE has identified a sharp rise in fires linked to photovoltaic systems, based on inquiries made with UK fire services. According to the company, the number of fires increased by 133% between 2022 and 2025. During the same period, the number of installed photovoltaic systems grew by 52%.
Tobias Mehl, risk manager at QBE Germany, views the findings as a significant signal for other markets as well. “Our experience shows that the cause often lies not in the solar modules themselves, but in faulty cable connections, connectors, or other electrical components,” he stated.
According to QBE’s analysis, UK fire services recorded a total of 212 fires linked to photovoltaic systems in 2025, up 133% from 91 fires in 2022. Of the cases recorded in 2025, 49 were attributed to issues with DC cabling and connectors. Solar modules were identified as the cause in 36 cases, battery storage systems in 23 cases, and inverters in 19 cases.
