Switching to sustainable, inexhaustible energy sources should reduce CO2 emissions and climate change as much as possible. In the Climate Agreement, it has been agreed that the share of renewable electricity must be seventy percent by 2030. The Dutch government is therefore fully committed to the use of sustainable forms of energy. Every private individual and entrepreneur has to deal with it, and so do insurers.
Concerns about (fire) safety in the energy transition
Developments follow each other in rapid succession: batteries for electrical appliances, including bicycles and cars, the (post-)insulation of buildings, the installation of solar panels or the use of hydrogen in residential areas, cars and industry. These are all great sustainable developments, but they also raise new (fire) safety issues.
Insurers applaud the energy transition, but have safety concerns.Together with the Netherlands Fire Brigade, they therefore argue that (fire) safety risks should be included in the development phase and not only considered at a later stage. The quantity of sustainability often seems to win out over quality, while insurers believe that this should go hand in hand.
Watching at an early stage
Insurers often only come into the picture as the final piece for all parties (such as advisers, government and science), while there is a lot to be gained if they are engaged earlier. After all, insurers are risk experts par excellence. They would like to share their knowledge and expertise in the further developments surrounding the energy transition.
Sometimes this is already happening, such as with the development of the Scios scope 12, an inspection method for solar panel installations. Insurers were also involved in the research into the development of a guideline for the use of immersion containers to extinguish fires with electric vehicles, and insurers contributed to the hydrogen pilot of Stad aan 't Haringvliet. In this way, they can make a valuable contribution in the search for preconditions and solutions that contribute to both the energy transition and safety.
How do we ensure a safe energy transition?
It is a priority for insurers to make and keep risks arising from the energy transition insurable. To this end, they share knowledge and expertise with the government, science and technology. Insurers are calling for more, safer and uniform standards and laws and regulations to limit new (fire) risks.
The sector supports the sustainability transition: they have signed the National Climate Agreement in their role as large institutional investors. Insurers see the need for sustainability due to climate- and weather-related damages, such as floods in Limburg (July 2021). In addition, insurers want to keep risks insurable and prevent individuals or companies from being unable to insure themselves (sufficiently) if they have to or want to. The sector is therefore helping customers to make the transition possible. Think of 'asbestos off and solar panels on', projects with green homes and pilots with hydrogen.
Reducing risks
Solar panels
The number of solar panels in our country is growing rapidly. A new panel is added every five seconds, but unfortunately sometimes things go wrong during installation. Insurers regularly encounter unsafe situations. Solar panels are basically safe systems. It is usually human actions that create dangerous situations. Therefore, read more about the risks of solar panels and the improvement proposals
Hydrogen
To get rid of gas, new forms of clean energy are being looked at. For example, there are pilots with hydrogen, such as in Stad aan 't Haringvliet. Insurers are working on this to ensure the safe use of hydrogen as a new energy source. Read the brochure 'Hydrogen, practical and technical information for insurance professionals', about the risks and opportunities of hydrogen.
Accumulators and batteries
A lithium-ion battery is a lightweight rechargeable battery or accumulator in electric bicycles, scooters, cars, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and hoverboards. This type of battery contains much more energy than a standard penlite battery. The use of these types of batteries is not without risk. They can overheat and catch fire. Find out what you can do to use these batteries and accumulators safely.
The fire hazard of electric cars in parking garages is also an increasing concern. The Building Decree is now designed for escape safety and not for fire safety. Insurers and the Netherlands Fire Service want fire safety to be the starting point, in order to reduce the risk of fire and damage.
Insulation materials
For renovations and new construction, fire-safe materials can be chosen much more often than at present. Read how fire(un)safe different materials are and what the Association proposes.