Solar Panels and Extreme Weather

8/4/2021 (Permalink)

Solar panel damaged.

Extreme Weather and Solar Panels

As they gain popularity throughout Valley Glen, CA, and the nation because of their benefits to the environment and consumer budgets, solar panels are popping up on residential roofs and ground arrays in increasing numbers. A consideration in adding them to your home is whether panel damage can occur in the event of a storm.

Solar Panels are Resilient

The good news is that solar panels can withstand extreme weather and retain their structural and functional integrity. In fact, in a strong storm, roof damage would be the greater concern. Research that has spurred the development of the solar energy industry has created materials that can withstand many environmental challenges including the following:

• extremely high temperatures
  
• extremely low temperatures
  
• ultraviolet radiation
  
• humidity
  
• electrical stress
  
• mechanical stress
  
• winds up to 140 mph
  
• direct hits from hail
  
  

Two extreme weather phenomena that pose the greatest threats of panel damage are hurricanes and hailstorms. However, the high volumes of wind-driven water in a hurricane have been documented to cause a perhaps surprising lack of damage; flexible racking designs enable the arrays to flex instead of break. Moreover, an unplanned test case in Golden, Colorado produced an astonishing result: a hailstorm that shattered car windows and dented vehicles broke a single panel in a 3,000 panel roof array at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The expanding solar energy industry continues to evolve, and with it, the materials that make it a safe, reliable, nonpolluting and affordable alternative are subject to ongoing development. Durability, sustainability and reliability are the watchwords that propel exciting new advances in the generation of electricity without the negative impact of fossil fuels.

Consumers today have every reason to begin harnessing the power of the sun to keep their homes humming. Because panel damage is exceedingly unlikely, storm-related repairs are generally not a consideration in taking the leap to solar power.