This year's hurricane season was looking pretty mild until Ian struck with a vengeance.
Of course, those of us residing further north seldom face hurricanes at all, let alone the catastrophic 150 mph winds and flooding that mother nature just unleashed on Florida.
But the storm doesn't end with the hurricane. And even folks as far away as western PA and Ohio can wind up suffering some pretty dangerous weather in the aftermath.
So, anyone looking to save money by going solar might naturally wonder how those unprotected panels are going to fare when strong winds and rain do inevitably strike.
The short answer is that solar panels are designed to withstand punishing weather. So, as long as you're working with a reputable and experienced installer, your solar system ought to hold up just fine.
As to the longer answer...
Hurricane Sandy
At 7:30 pm on October 29, 2012, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, Hurricane Sandy, touched shore just seven miles north of Atlantic City, slamming the New Jersey coast with 80 mph winds and 14-foot waves.
Besides its high concentration of single-family homes, New Jersey has also been one of the top states for new solar installations since the rooftop solar boom began in 2000.
In fact, when Sandy struck, New Jersey ranked fourth in total solar capacity among U.S. states despite having only the eleventh largest population.
As Sandy approached, thousands of solar-equipped NJ residents prepared for the worst.
When the devastation finally ended, however, there was virtually no damage to any rooftop solar installations even in New Jersey's hardest hit areas.
Hurricane Maria
As bad as Sandy was, when Hurricane Maria struck the Caribbean five years later it was a whole lot worse.
Puerto Rico got battered by 170 mph winds. An astonishing 80% of the island's power lines fell, causing the largest blackout in U.S history.
Not only did millions suffer without electricity for months. One neighborhood had to wait 328 grueling days before their power was finally restored!
Yet, after the catastrophic storm had passed, a VA hospital in one of Puerto Rico's hardest hit areas made global headlines when its solar system not only survived. It was still operating at 100%.
Built to withstand gale-force wind
Just like Hurricane Maria itself, that VA hospital's solar system was a special case. It was specifically designed to withstand the 160 mph-plus-wind, Category-5, hurricanes that are a sad but occasional fact of life in Puerto Rico.
But the good news is that the solar panels used in rooftop projects are generally also designed to withstand the severest storms that strike in the northeastern U.S.
Most solar panels built today are rated to withstand 140 mph winds. That’s sturdy enough to endure a mid-level Category 4 hurricane and exceeds the worst conditions you're likely to encounter in states like Pennsylvania or Ohio.
Many regions that do experience more severe storms also require solar panels rated to withstand them. Houston, Texas, for example, as well as the entire state of Florida mandate that rooftop solar panels be rated to withstand at least 160 mph winds.
Built to withstand hail
Of course, there's more to hurricanes than just the dangerously strong wind. Hail and other flying debris can also cause a lot of damage.
That's why most solar panels today are certified to withstand hail stones that are up to one inch in diameter striking at 50 mph.
In fact, in May of 2017, the durability of solar panels against hail was put to the test when an extraordinarily severe hailstorm struck the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) solar-powered main campus in Denver.
The storm left a trail of shattered car windows and golf-ball-sized dents in vehicles and rooftops throughout the region.
But of the over 3,000 solar panels on NREL's roof, only one was damaged.
Record of durability
In 2015, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory also conducted an official study that looked at the durability of 50,000 solar systems installed between 2009 and 2013.
NREL found that, in any given year, only 0.1% of solar systems develop any damaged or otherwise underperforming panels.
And, any way you slice it, that's an extraordinary record of durability.