Flames Knock Argentina Solar Farm Off the Grid

Fire caused extreme damage Sunday morning to the solar inverters at a photovoltaic park supplying energy to the western Argentina city of Ullum.

City firefighters arrived to find numerous inverters burning, local media report. The inverters, each contained in its own electrical cabinet, convert the variable direct current output of solar panels into alternating current that can used by a commercial electrical grid.

Flames gutted the cabinets and charred the wiring that connected them. Firefighters fought the flames nearly 90 minutes before bringing them under control shortly before 2 p.m. The solar park is owned by the Argentinian energy company Genneia SA.

The park is one of three acquired by Genneia in April 2018 – Ullum 1 (25 megavolts), Ullum II (25 megavolts) and Ullum III (32 megavolts).