The risk of fires got a $300,000 solar panel installation shut down permanently at a Somerville building with senior homes, artists studios and stores, leading to a lawsuit now in court.
Basis Powderhouse is suing Invaleon Technologies and Resonant Energy, claiming an incorrectly installed photovoltaic system at 1060 Broadway, a reuse of the Powder House Community School site near Teele Square known as Cala (for “Community, architecture, landscape, art”). It has 48 homes, green space and a mural museum. A response by Resonant, however, calls the “serious incident” after four months of operation “most likely caused by a power surge from the utility grid and not faulty design or workmanship on the part of the installation contractor.”
“To be sure, the incident that occurred in 2022 was serious and alarming and did real damage to the system. Our understanding is that Invaleon immediately made resolving the situation a top priority,” said Ben Underwood, co-chief executive of Boston-based Resonant, in a Dec. 20 letter. After an investigation, “Invaleon determined that the incident was most likely caused by a power surge from the electric grid, possibly due to a nearby lightning strike.”
Legal documents filed as part of the Basis lawsuit charged that the new solar system malfunctioned, spitting sparks, burning its cable insulation and melting an arc shield before being manually shut down, Fire officials said it could have led to a significantly larger fire.
The city ordered the system shut down and disconnected, and a later inspection revealed numerous errors and code violations, to the point where the system cannot be turned on again without $85,000 in repair costs, according to Basis Powderhouse, which is co-owned by Basis Technology in Somerville. Basis says the problem has cost it $125,000 in lost revenue and could cost it another $500,000 due to loss of eligibility for incentives in a state program to support the development of solar power.
Work on the solar array starting in 2019 with the goal of generating revenue through qualifying facility credits and selling electricity to utility companies, the lawsuit says. Basis wants a jury trial in the business litigation session of the Massachusetts Superior Court and hopes to be awarded damages, attorneys’ fees, interest and other costs.
What the document fails to say is that In the following months, “we helped the building owner coordinate remediation of the damage, and Invaleon, at its own cost, provided the building with a replacement for the component that was damaged,” Underwood said. Resonant Energy is a small, local company with a mission to build a more equitable clean energy transition by serving nonprofits, affordable housing and underinvested communities across Massachusetts, he said, and “part of the reason we started Resonant Energy was to prove that solar energy is an alternative to fossil fuels that is effective and safe.”
Resonant helps building owners assess the feasibility of hosting or owning solar panels, then helps them engage and work with suitable installers, Underwood said. In his understanding, the work done with Invaleon at Cala “met the rigorous standards required by the City of Somerville and the state” and was reviewed before construction “in detail and stamped by a licensed professional engineer.” The completed installation was inspected and approved as well by “one of the most careful and exacting inspectors in the Greater Boston area, and our impression was that his inspection of this array was no exception.”
The work at Cala was under its prior ownership, and Resonant has had no contact with Basis Powderhouse. “We do not have, and have never had, any contractual relationship with Basis. We have neither received any payments,” Underwood said, “nor are we aware that Basis ever attempted to contact us with any request for information or assistance of any sort.”
A message left Friday with Invaleon inviting comment drew no response.
Solar panel fires, especially on large buildings, can be dangerous. A 2022 solar panel fire in Newburyport caused $2 million to $4 million in damages, including from the water pumped in to out out the flames.
This post was updated Dec. 16, 2024, to correct the name of Resonant Energy and to embed a PDF of the lawsuit upon receipt; it was updated Dec. 20 with comment from Resonant Energy.
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