From the roof solar modules and automated warehouses to electric vehicles, green technologies change commercial real estate risk profiles.
While these innovations improve energy efficiency and sustainability, they also hire new challenges: including fire hazards from Solarphotovoltaic systems (PV), increased fire loads from robotics and lithium-ion batteries in automotive manufacturing systems and electric vehicles.
However, the development of building regulations and global sustainability regulations mean that the implementation of environmental, social and governance criteria (ESG) for companies and thus their insurers is no longer optional. And while sustainable construction practices for insurers can mean higher preliminary payments, they also urge the industry to adapt to the changing world.
(Note from the publisher: ESG refers to a number of standards that use the ecological and social effects of a company or what it does in the area of social responsibility of companies).
Despite the increasing political polarization in relation to the ESG -political direction in the USA, the ESG trends are still gaining dynamics worldwide. For multinational companies that have subsidiaries in Europe and other regions, ESG considerations for companies that work at a global level are relevant.
Even in the United States, policyholders and their insurers have to take the risks associated with green technologies – although they may not be officially referred to as “ESG”.
Use our strength
Solar modules with roof quickly become a popular solution for commercial and industrial buildings and help companies to significantly reduce energy consumption and reduce operating costs. Regardless of whether it is integrated into new construction projects or retrofitted in existing properties, Solar -PV systems are a cornerstone of sustainable energy practices.
Solar modules are equipped with their own challenges that need to be managed. An incident of 2020 in Kent in Great Britain, where a solar panel damaged a flat block and made 30 people homeless, was attributed to incorrect installation.
Roof mounted solar PV systems give complexities because they introduce a ignition source and a flammable load in buildings. Errors or incorrect components such as inverter or cabling can lead to electrical problems that can trigger fires in rare cases.
For firefighters, solar collectors can make a fire more difficult because they cannot easily be separated from their power source and can increase the risk of an electrical shock. Panels also give roofs weight, which can lead to a breakdown in certain situations.
When a fire broke out in the solar collectors on the roof of a 45,000 square meter trading house in Peterborough, Great Britain, 11 fire engines, a water carrier, a special air device for complex fires and more than 50 firefighters, took the light under control.
As a result of these incidents, engineers and fire protection teams around the world are now working together to manage the systems more safely and more easily in emergencies.
Real estate insurers can also encourage insured companies to carry out specific security measures such as the hiring of qualified contractors for installations, regular inspections, electrical separation plans for electrical emergencies and adequate distance between the panels, the installation of panels on combustible roofs and the information of local fire services.
Extreme weather and other environmental factors must also be taken into account in order to evaluate the suitability of the installation of roof-assembled solar PV systems.
Robot and intelligent warehouses
Manufacturing and warehouse companies are increasingly using automation to optimize your process. Automated mobile robots (AMRS) navigate warehouse floors, transport goods or support with the selection and packaging. Save automated storage and calling systems (ASRS) and access products. These systems improve productivity, accuracy and cost efficiency and at the same time reduce energy consumption, material waste and manual work.
However, they have also introduced new dangers such as lithium-ion batteries in ASRS that create excessive heat. The increased storage capacity increases the fire pollution per square meter and complicated fire prevention. Sprinklers can also be less effective, and the dense layouts and complicated robot operations make it more difficult to locate fire sources.
The Ocado Automated Warehouse Fire 2019 in Andover, Great Britain, caused by an electrical error in a battery charge, burned for four days and completely destroyed the system.
Smart technology that is used to build control elements and automation systems can also expose companies of hackers.
Electric vehicle fires
While concerns about the battery beaches of lithium-ion battery in relation to the fire risk are statistically far more secure than conventional vehicles of internal internal combustion engines, according to energy-saving trust. Battery fires may be due to manufacturing errors, improper use, overloaded or physical damage.
Fires in EVS tend to spread quickly, generate intensive warmth and release toxic vapors. In EV depots, fires can easily spread between parked vehicles, as could be seen in the Depot fire in China in 2021, which destroyed five electric buses, and the depot fire, which destroyed 25 electric buses in Germany in the same year.
Deleting an EV battery fire can require up to 150,000 liters of water, but tools were recently introduced that can pierce the battery housing and inject water directly. Further security improvements are being developed, such as B. Fire -proof batteries and early warning systems.
Underwriters should take into account the concentration of values in vehicle depots and manufacturing systems, the risk of batteries, the fire catches and whether the insured person has taken suitable fire protection measures.
Real estate insurers have an important role in supporting customers because they take ESG measures by providing tailor -made solutions such as “Upgrade to Green” guidelines and proactive advice on reducing risks.
Through cooperation with specialized real estate risk vermeters and underwriters, real estate insurers can enable customers to take ESG initiatives into account with confidence.
Top -Photo: Firefighters try to delete a fire in a vehicle depot in Stadtallendorf on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. (Michael Rind/dpa about AP). The fire broke out on an emergency vehicle from the fire brigade, which contained lithium-ion batteries and an external power connection.
Topics
Property