Solar Industry to the Rescue in Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico
Many Ask: Can Solar Panels Withstand Hurricanes?
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced last week a coalition of solar companies now joining together to help restore electricity in Puerto Rico. This effort will include the donation of essential supplies, such as roofing, generators and lighting equipment worth about $2 million. The goal is for solar power — which will not require costly diesel — to begin powering homes and businesses as quickly as possible, rather than waiting to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid, which could take months.
This quick and significant response by the solar industry has started a dialogue about the reliability of solar power, the durability of solar panels and the ability of solar panels to stand up in the case of a hurricane.
Here in the Northeast we also face some very nasty weather including rain, sleet, snow and even hail. However, a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report on 50,000 solar energy systems installed between 2009 and 2013 indicates that only 0.1% of all PV systems have been reported as affected by damaged or underperforming modules each year. https://www.nrel.gov/news/features/2015/16488.html
At Sunrise Solar Solutions, we are completely confident in the ability of our solar panels to stand up to almost any weather condition. That’s why we offer impressive guarantees for all of our solar panels. In fact, with our recently expanded partnership with SunPower, a global leader in solar innovation and sustainability, we exclusively offer all of our residential customers SunPower’s premium solar panel technology, which features a full system 25-year wrap-around warranty.
Effects of Hurricanes and Hail on Solar Panels
Solar panels undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they are capable of withstanding inclement weather, including hurricanes and hail storms. Solar panels are tested to withstand the devastating effects of wind and pounding rain in a hurricane, with most panels certified to stand up to wind gusts of 140 miles. And, for hail — the standard for panels is that they must be able to withstand hail of up to one inch falling at approximately 50 miles per hour in order to ensure that the panels can accept a strong fall of hail and not break or become less effective.
Solar panels are among the most reliable and durable of all energy technologies. For more information and a free assessment for your home or business, please call 914-762-7622, or visit our website sunrisesolarllc.com for more details.
