Amazon has made installing solar panels on rooftops a key part of its ESG strategy, but a series of events last year show how challenging greening up major facilities can be.
Between April 2020 and June 2021, solar panels on Amazon fulfillment center roofs caught fire or experienced electrical explosions at least six times. As a result, the company took all U.S. solar rooftops offline last year while it investigated the mishaps.
According to a CNBC report, Amazon hired a consultant to audit its rooftop solar systems in the U.S., Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The study discovered several problems at various sites including mismatched module-to-module connectors, improper installation of connectors, poor wire management, and evidence of water intrusion in the inverters, CNBC reported.
Each fire reportedly cost the company an average of $2.7 million, which included third-party audits of rooftop solar systems, checks on how much electricity they were generating, and repairs for broken or faulty parts.
Despite the setbacks, Amazon remains committed to solar power and continues to monitor the situation, making repairs where needed. As of this April, Amazon had onsite solar at 176 facilities. Its solar program began in 2017.
Related Stories
Retail Centers | May 18, 2015
ULI forecast sees clear skies for real estate over next three years
With asset availability declining in several sectors, rents and transactions should rise.
Contractors | May 18, 2015
Gilbane foresees double-digit growth in construction spending in 2015
In its Spring outlook, the construction company frets about hiring patterns that aren’t fully taking a project’s workload into account.
Architects | May 10, 2015
Harness the connection between managing risk and increasing profitability, Part 2
In Part 1, we covered taking control of the submittals schedule and managing RFIs. Let’s move on to properly allocating substitutions and limiting change orders.
Contractors | May 8, 2015
Trends in U.S. commercial building size in three charts
A new study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that there were 5.6 million commercial buildings in the U.S. in 2012, totaling 87 billion sf of floor space. This is a 14% increase in floor space since 2003.
Building Team | May 8, 2015
Construction industry adds 45,000 jobs in April
The construction industry saw an increase in jobs during the month of April after losing approximately 9,000 positions in March.
Building Team | May 8, 2015
Surety bond forms specifically for design-build projects now available
The documents are the first of their kind to be coauthored by designers and builders.
Engineers | May 6, 2015
Megadeals drive mergers and acquisitions in engineering and construction industry: FMI report
Large deals and the convergence of design and construction are spurring M&A activity in the engineering and construction industry, according to the FMI Mergers & Acquisitions Trends report.
High-rise Construction | May 6, 2015
Parks in the sky? Subterranean bike paths? Meet the livable city, designed in 3D
Today’s great cities must be resilient—and open—to many things, including the influx of humanity, writes Gensler co-CEO Andy Cohen.
Contractors | May 1, 2015
Construction workers among top U.S. drug users: study
Construction workers are topped only by miners when it comes to heavy drinking, according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Multifamily Housing | May 1, 2015
Trade groups extend campaign to promote apartment living
The groups claim that there are more than 37 million Americans—12% of the population—living in just under 20 million apartment units nationwide. Apartments and their residents contribute $1.3 trillion annually to the economy.
