Amazon temporarily shuts down solar rooftops at all US facilities due to fires
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-temporarily-shuts-down-solar-014342164.html
Author: Paul Best
According to internal documents obtained by CNBC, which originally repod the news, Amazon experienced "critical fire or arc flash events" at six sites in North America with solar installations, representing about 12.7% of all applicable facilities. "The rate of dangerous incidents is unacceptable, and above industry averages," an Amazon employee wrote in an internal report, according to CNBC. One such fire broke out at an Amazon warehouse in Perryville, Maryland, in June 2021 and caused $500,000 worth of damages. An investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshall determined that the cause was "accidental" and involved "an unspecified event involving the solar panel system." Amazon touted itself as the "world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy" in last year's sustainability report that laid out its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. "Amazon also built a team of dedicated solar experts overseeing the construction, operations, and maintenance of our systems in-house to ensure the safety of our systems," the spokesperson said