In July 2026, Southern Europe experienced extreme heatwaves, with two major fire incidents closely related to large-scale ground-mounted PV plants occurring in Sardinia, Italy, and Puertollano, Spain. These events have reignited industry-wide discussions on PV plant safety and operation management.

On July 17, a wildfire broke out in the border area between the provinces of Nuoro and Oristano in Sardinia. At the time, the region was enduring the peak of the third heatwave, with inland temperatures exceeding 45°C. Strong and shifting winds drove the fire rapidly across multiple municipalities—Noragugume, Sedilo, and Ottana—and by the afternoon of July 18, the flames reached the Ottana industrial zone, destroying a private PV plant on site. Preliminary estimates indicate at least 500 hectares burned, with worst-case projections reaching 1,000 hectares. Some 22 to 23 farms suffered severe losses, including total destruction of annual animal feed reserves and significant livestock casualties.

Just five days later, on July 22, the Los Navajitos large-scale ground-mounted PV plant in Puertollano, central Spain, caught fire. The blaze scorched approximately 90 hectares and required cross-regional firefighting efforts from multiple autonomous communities. One maintenance worker suffered severe burns in the incident.

Although the immediate triggers differ—external wildfire intrusion in Italy versus suspected internal faults in Spain—the underlying vulnerabilities are strikingly similar: under the new normal of prolonged heatwaves and drought, the fire prevention systems of ground-mounted PV plants reveal systemic deficiencies.

It is widely recognized that DC arcing, loose connections, module hot spots, and abnormal overheating of box-type transformers are common internal ignition sources. However, the Southern European cases remind us that ignition sources are only the start of the chain. What transforms a small spark into a large-scale disaster is the uncontrolled spread of dry vegetation inside and around the plant, coupled with inadequate planning, construction, and maintenance of firebreaks. When external wildfires approach or internal sparks occur, this vegetation acts as fuel, and with strong winds, flames can quickly race across vast areas, making firefighting extremely difficult.

This reality calls for a paradigm shift: PV plant fire protection must go beyond electrical equipment and evolve into a systemic approach that integrates electrical safety, site management, and structural design. The PV mounting system sits precisely at the intersection of these three dimensions.

FarSun believes that mounting systems can play a proactive structural role in the fire prevention chain:

First, by appropriately increasing the ground clearance of modules, debris accumulation beneath arrays is reduced, and maintenance equipment can access the area more easily for vegetation clearing, lowering the risk of direct flame impingement on modules during surface fires.

Second, mounting layouts should reserve adequate space for firebreak implementation, preventing continuous fire spread across arrays and providing emergency access routes for firefighting crews.

Third, using steel materials and anti-corrosion coatings with good thermal stability ensures that the mounting structure itself does not become a combustible medium or suffer deformation failure under extreme heat.

Fourth, mounting designs should not obstruct key electrical nodes such as inverters and connectors, enabling thorough infrared inspection coverage and early detection of abnormal thermal anomalies.

Extreme heat is becoming an increasingly frequent climatic backdrop. The PV industry cannot afford to focus solely on generation efficiency and cost competition; lifecycle safety management must be elevated to a higher priority. FarSun will continue to monitor global fire cases and evolving safety standards, embedding safety into every detail of mounting system design—not just for energy generation, but for the reliable operation of power plants over three decades.

FarSun Solar Mounting Systems

Reliable Structure · Safety-Driven Design · Lifecycle Partnership
For tailored fire-prevention mounting solutions in arid regions, welcome to contact us.