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OTOH, what is the risk of a hurricane destroying your rooftop solar installation? Serious question.
by danmaz74 9y ago
OTOH, what is the risk of a hurricane destroying your rooftop solar installation? Serious question.
- ph0rque 9y agoI would guess the same as a hurricane destroying your roof?
- mrfusion 9y agoSeems like it might be higher. Wouldn't all the 100mph debris crack the panels? I don't think they're impact resistant ?
- jhayward 9y agoHurricane prone areas have building codes that require hurricane-proof installations. Most panels are built withstand extreme conditions, e.g., 2-inch hail, etc.
- dx034 9y agoI recently read that in parts of Florida the roof needs to be secured with concrete to avoid wind lifting tiles. Can this be done with solar panels? I always had the impression that there's space between the panel and the roof. In this case, couldn't wind of a hurricane lift the panel?
- djtriptych 9y agoBut does "withstand" mean "continue to function at 100%" or "probably not kill anyone nearby"?
- jhayward 9y agoThe building codes are mostly the latter - maintain integrity of the roof, don't become projectiles. The manufacturing standards are more the former, such as "withstand 2 inch hail at X mph and maintain at least 95% of rated capacity"
- DoubleCribble 9y agoPretty significant, I'd imagine even without flying debris. There's often an air gap in between the roof and panel which is going to make things really exciting in 100+mph wind. Maybe building codes could be updated so that there's an airfoil on the outside edge of rooftop installations, like on your car's sunroof, to reduce the likelihood of liftoff?