Solar Panel System Flaw Caused Fire At Brick School: Officials

BRICK, NJ — A fire that damaged the solar panels at Emma Havens Young Elementary School in September led to the discovery of a design issue affecting other schools in the district, officials said.

At the Brick Township Board of Education meeting, Business Administrator James Edwards said the solar failure happened when the transformer that is part of the solar unit allowed positive voltage to come back on the neutral.

No one was injured in the fire, but it forced evacuation of the school and early dismissal of Emma Havens Young students on Sept. 14. It also caused Drum Point Elementary students to be relocated to Brick Township High School because power was shut off to the entire complex.

Emma Havens students and staff, who lost a day of school — the district has no emergency closing days built into the calendar — are making up that day on Friday, Jan 26, with a half-day of classes. Jan. 26 is scheduled as a professional development day for the district; students at all other schools in the district will have the day off.

Jersey Central Power and Light crews found the design flaw as they investigated the fire, Edwards said. It affects the solar units at all of the schools except Brick Memorial High School, he said, and all of the affected solar units have been shut down until the flaw is fixed.

Edwards said the repairs will mean shutting off the electricity to the buildings, and the district is trying to find a time that works best to do that, he said. Spring break is being looked at as a possibility, Edwards said.

The repairs to the units will be done at no cost to the district, Edwards said, because the units are owned by New Jersey Resources (the parent company of New Jersey Natural Gas) and JCP&L.

As for the effect on the district's energy costs, Edwards said NJR pays the difference if the district does not see the expected savings.

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