Driven by desperation: Yemenis resort to dangerous energy alternatives 

Taiz, Yemen — It was around 5am in the Yemeni city of Taiz last week, with the morning’s quiet interrupted only by the tweeting of birds and a few construction workers leaving home for work. Then, an explosion shattered the calm and neighbours rushed to extinguish a large fire in Najib Abdullah’s home.

The residents in the Beer Basha area of the city were rescued from the house, which was completely engulfed in flames, but had serious burns.

They were taken to Al-Thawra General Hospital Authority, which has the city’s largest emergency unit for burns and plastic surgery.

The cause of the explosion was the lithium battery used for the solar power system, which many homes in Taiz rely on.

Dr Mohammed Saeed, the head of the emergency department at Al-Thawra Hospital’s burns centre, told Al Jazeera that a mother and two of her children died, their father remains in intensive care, while a third child was discharged from hospital.

He said the cause of the blaze was not an isolated incident and his burns unit regularly treats victims of battery explosions, leaving victims severely disfigured or worse.

“We don’t know the exact technical reasons behind these solar energy fires, but the centre frequently receives patients from Taiz city and neighbouring governorates suffering from burns caused by battery fires,” Saeed added.

In governorates such as Taiz, where the public electricity grid is nonexistent, residents are left with two choices: pay for expensive generators or invest in solar energy systems that harness free electricity from the sun.

Installing solar systems requires specialised teams working under specific safety conditions. Homeowners who often try to save money by installing the systems themselves are largely unaware of the safety protocols.

In the first six months of this year, Al-Thawra Hospital’s burns unit had 2,729 cases, including 13 fatalities, according to Dr. Saeed. Most were the result of exploding solar batteries, vehicles converted to cooking gas, domestic gas leaks and accidents involving petrol.

Lower cost, higher risk

In a hospital room adjacent to Najib Abdullah’s, 40-year-old Ammar Saleh lies in bed recovering from another fire. Like many others, he modified his car to run on cooking gas due to the soaring price of petrol.

A litre of petrol costs 1,500 Yemeni Riyals (around $0.95), compared to just 500 Riyals ($0.30) for a litre of cooking gas. The huge disparity in price has led drivers, particularly bus drivers, to take the risky decision to modify their engines to run on cooking gas.

While it has saved cash-strapped drivers some riyals, it has also effectively converted their vehicles into potential time bombs, leading to an increase in vehicles exploding or bursting into flames.

Saleh, from Mawza’a district, owns an old car he uses to transport passengers between villages in and around his province. Unable to afford the high cost of petrol, he followed the trend of other drivers and switched to cooking gas.

“Petrol is very expensive and most bus and passenger car owners have converted their vehicles to run on cooking gas,” Saleh’s brother Mohammed, who visited him at the hospital, told Al Jazeera. “I didn’t think it was that dangerous; I feel it is more a matter of fate and destiny.”

Fire engulfed his vehicle when a bystander sparked a lighter as he was filling the tank of his car with cooking gas. “That happened last week. The fire engulfed my son’s body, but we managed to extinguish it, rushed him to a nearby clinic, and then transferred him here to Al-Thawra Hospital.”

Fire incidents increase

Yemeni authorities have responded to the outbreak of vehicle fires by organising public workshops to warn against unregulated conversions. However, a thriving underground market remains, with mechanics altering engines covertly.

Malik Al-Sabri, manager of planning and information for Taiz police, said battery accidents are among the leading causes of house fires in Taiz governorate. Battery-related incidents account for 30-40 percent of all fires.

Haphazardly converting cars from petrol to cooking gas and refuelling them at petrol stations not equipped for such vehicles is a major concern.

“The number of fire incidents has increased significantly due to these alternative energy hazards, specifically the improper use of solar energy systems and the unregulated conversion of vehicles to cooking gas,” Al-Sabri said.

“Due to the spike in vehicular fires, the Civil Defence division of the Taiz police has banned unauthorised conversions. They are now enforcing strict safety conditions for any such modifications.”

Installation mistakes

Electrical engineer Dawood Abdullah said solar energy is usually a suitable and safe alternative to generators for Yemeni households, as it saves money for families and provides a long-term solution to the country’s constant electricity supply problems.

“We cannot say that solar energy itself is dangerous, but I can confirm that some families install the systems themselves without the help of an engineer, leading to many mistakes,” Abdullah said. “Not just anyone can install a solar energy system and not every location is suitable for storing batteries. Using specialists for installation should be mandatory.”

Solar panels are unsafe when families place batteries inside living areas, he said. They need to be kept away from living rooms, placed in well-ventilated areas and the batteries must be genuine and built with high-quality material to minimise the fire risk.

“Several common mistakes made by some Yemenis are the true causes behind these battery fires and explosions,” Abdullah said. “We shouldn’t blame solar energy itself, but rather the installation mistakes made by users.”

Ramez Nabil, media officer for the Yemeni Green Media Center (YGMC), an organisation working on environmental issues in Yemen, agrees that solar energy is a clean, lasting alternative to private generators.

“We view solar energy as an emergency salvation, as well as an environmental revolution,” Nabil said. “Solar energy is the best solution, not only for homes but also for private enterprises like malls and small factories.”

But he said there is a dire need for public awareness on solar panel use, noting that the “clean power” has become a source of danger in homes where users lack the education and guidance to operate the systems safely.

“The dire economic situation has forced some people to buy poor-quality materials and rely on unqualified individuals for installation,” Nabil added. “We urgently need awareness campaigns to encourage people to utilise this clean power safely and correctly.”