Resilient Solar Photovoltaics

NREL employees have been deployed after disasters to support recovery efforts following hurricanes, tornados, fires, floods, hail, and extreme winter weather events.

Hail No! National Lab’s Solar Panels Survive Severe Storm, DOE News (2017)
Only 1 of 3,000 panels broken on NREL building after severe hail storm.

Toward Solar Photovoltaic Storm Resilience, Federal Energy Management Program Technical Report (2023)

Observations of PV Systems Post-Hurricane, NREL Presentation (2018)

How Solar PV can Support Disaster Resilience, State, Local, and Tribal Governments Blog (2015)

Learning from post-disaster assessments and collaboration with industry experts, NREL employees have developed best practices for solar PV in disaster-prone locations. Designing systems to be resilient can save costs over the lifetime of the PV system through reduced operation and maintenance costs, avoided damage, and sustained power production.

Best practices for installing solar PV in disaster-prone locations have been compiled as a result of learning from disasters across the nation.

Pre-Storm and Post-Storm Recommendations

The Federal Emergency Management Agency funded subject matter experts at NREL to create a set of checklists to help Puerto Rico and other communities prepare for storms. The storm-hardening checklists provide storm preparation actions that can increase the chances that solar PV systems are available following a severe weather event.

Strengthening Solar PV Ahead of Storm Season, State, Local, and Tribal Governments Blog (2022)

Preparing Solar PV Against Storms, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Pre-Storm Checklist for Distributed Ground-Mounted PV Systems, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Pre-Storm Checklist for Distributed Roof-Mounted PV Systems, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Pre-Storm Checklist for Utility-Scale Ground-Mounted PV Systems, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

These resources are also compiled in Spanish for three types of systems:

Preparación de Sistemas Solares Fotovoltaicos Contra Tormentas, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Lista de Verificación de Refuerzo de Tormentas: Sistemas Solares Fotovoltaicos (PV) Montados en el Suelo, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Lista de Verificación de Refuerzo de Tormentas: Sistemas Solares Fotovoltaicos (PV) Montados en el Techo, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Lista de Verificación de Refuerzo de Tormentas: Sistemas Solares Fotovoltaico (PV) de Servicios Públicos Montados en el Suelo, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Hardening Solar PV Infrastructure For Resilience

Severe Weather Resilience in Solar Photovoltaic System Design, Federal Energy Management Program (2024)

Hail Damage Mitigation for Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Federal Energy Management Program (2024)

Solar Photovoltaic Hardening for Resilience–Winter Weather, Federal Energy Management Program (2024)

Solar Photovoltaic Hardening for Resilience–Wildfire, Federal Energy Management Program (2024)

PV System Owner's Guide to Identifying, Assessing, and Addressing Weather Vulnerabilities, Risks, and Impacts, Federal Energy Management Program News (2021)

Solar Photovoltaics in Severe Weather: Cost Considerations for Storm Hardening PV Systems for Resilience, NREL Technical Report (2020)

Microgrid-Ready Solar PV—Planning For Resilience, NREL Fact Sheet (2017)

Resilient Renewable Energy Microgrids, NREL Presentation (2017)

PV systems need to not only physically survive hazards but also be configured to provide power during grid disruptions. Adding grid-disconnect switches and controls, and incorporating solar into a microgrid can provide onsite, localized power during a grid outage. Adding energy storage to the system allows organizations, communities, and utilities to integrate new ways to provide power longer-term. NREL research provides the guidance and tools needed to adopt microgrids, leverage distributed energy resources for resilience, and integrate solar PV into smart buildings to improve their ability to resist grid disruptions.

Using Solar PV For Resilience, State, Local, and Tribal Governments Course, NREL Course Module (2024)

Increasing Resilience Through Renewable Energy Microgrids, Journal of Energy Management (2017)

Renewable Energy Integration and Optimization Tool (REopt)

REopt for Resilient Buildings: Leveraging Energy Efficiency and Distributed Energy Resources for Resilience Solutions, NREL Presentation (2022)

Resilient Renewable Energy Microgrids, Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers and International Society of Broadband Experts Cable Tec Expo Presentation (2017)

Installing PV systems with reliable modules, inverters, and other components increases their performance, lifetime, and likelihood they will be able to deliver their expected power when that power is critically needed.

NREL's material scientists perform testing and research on future proofing PV systems, providing greater understanding of grid reliability and system performance, the impacts of extreme weather and aging systems on PV performance, and development of strategies for power loss recovery.

How Extreme Weather and System Aging Affect the US Photovoltaic Fleet, NREL News (2024)

Solar Photovoltaics Durability and Resilience - A Win-Win, NREL Presentation (2023)

Power Loss and Safety Risks—Recoverable vs. Non-Recoverable, Duramat Workshop (2022)

NREL Reliability and System Performance Research

NREL's annual Photovoltaic Reliability Workshop

Many solar PV systems are designed and installed with a focus on lowest capital cost. Designing systems to be resilient may incur additional upfront costs, but these investments can save costs over the lifetime of the PV system through reduced operation and maintenance costs, avoided damage, and sustained power production. NREL's resilience research includes guides and reports on the most effective measurement and valuation systems and strategies that include resilience metrics across the value chain.

Measuring and Valuing Resilience: A Literature Review for the Power Sector, NREL Technical Report (2023)

Valuing Resilience In Electricity Systems, NREL Fact Sheet (2022)

Build Solar-Energy Systems To Last—Save Billions, Nature (2021)

Solar Photovoltaics in Severe Weather: Cost Considerations for Storm Hardening PV Systems for Resilience, NREL Technical Report (2020)

The Role of Reliability and Durability in Photovoltaic System Economics, NREL Presentation (2019)

Valuing the Resilience Provided by Solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems, NREL Brochure (2018)

Many PV systems have survived a range of hazards.

Solar Plus Storage Equals Energy Savings and Resilience for Iguaca Aviary, Federal Energy Management Program (2024)

Successful Deployment of a Solar Power System at Mount Rainier National Park, Federal Energy Management Program (2024)

Toward Solar Photovoltaic Storm Resilience, Federal Energy Management Program Technical Report (2023)

Hail No! National Lab's Solar Panels Survive Severe Storm, DOE News (2017)

NREL experts provide recommendations and project design review for solar PV projects in severe-weather prone locations and advise on recovery for damaged systems.