Can solar panels withstand hurricanes? Will hurricane weather affect solar panels? Do hurricane days, cloudy and rainy days, and other weather that are not sunny affect solar panels? Especially for potential solar customers who live in coastal areas and islands and have rainy and cloudy days all year round, these questions are crucial. Today, SUNKEAN sincerely answers your questions.

Ⅰ. Hurricanes and solar panel

1. Can solar panels withstand hurricanes?

Solar panels are resistant to hurricanes, and solar panels in general have a certain degree of resistance to hurricanes. However, for solar panels to be able to withstand hurricanes, the following conditions must be met.

2. How to withstand hurricanes for solar panels?

a. Ensure the quality of the building

Most solar panels for domestic use are installed on rooftops or top of buildings. The building must be windproof to stabilize the solar panels on the roof.

b. Increase the number of modules and the quality of the mounts

The wind resistance of a photovoltaic power plant is largely determined by the photovoltaic mount. A photovoltaic bracket is a special bracket designed for placing, installing, and fixing photovoltaic modules in the photovoltaic power generation system. The general materials are aluminum alloy, carbon steel, and stainless steel. Theoretically, the maximum wind resistance of a PV bracket is 216 km/h, and the maximum wind resistance of a tracking bracket is 150 km/h (greater than level 13 wind).

To withstand hurricanes, a very strong PV mount is required in the first place. Therefore, PV power plants must strengthen their foundations and mounts, and at the same time ensure the strength of the module frames. This requires targeted site selection and design, strict control of product quality, and reasonable calculation of wind pressure and snow pressure.

In addition, according to the geology and structure of the project location, the site selection of the power station should try to avoid areas prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. According to the local situation, strictly refer to the wind and seismic parameters of coastal buildings for design, choose galvanized brackets with strong pressure resistance, and the array arrangement of the PV system should fully consider the wind-resistant windbreak.

c. Choose high-quality monocrystalline silicon solar panels

For many potential solar customers living in coastal areas and islands, solar panels' durability is obvious during natural disasters.

Usually, solar panel manufacturers make their systems as robust as possible. With improvements in engineering and materials, solar panels can better withstand extreme weather, including hail, sleet, snow, and hurricanes.

All solar panels, regardless of brand, style, shape, or material, can withstand strong winds to a certain extent. Generally speaking, most solar panels can withstand wind speeds of up to 140 mph, which is about 2,400 Pascals (a unit of measurement of the wind resistance of solar panels). It is strong enough to withstand Category 4 hurricanes, and its wind speed ranges from 130 to 156 mph.

Most solar panels are made of glass, making them look extremely fragile, but high-quality, thick-tempered glass is very durable and strong. Solar panels made of mono-crystalline silicon are more common and have higher overall durability.

Single-crystal silicon is made by melting pure silicon, making it into strips, and then cutting it into wafers. The purer the silicon, the higher the efficiency of the solar panel. SUNKEAN monocrystalline silicon solar panels have higher module conversion efficiency, lower cost per kilowatt-hour, excellent anti-PID performance, passed the salt spray tolerance and ammonia resistance certification, and passed the 2400Pa wind load and 5400Pa snow Load certification.

In hurricane weather, rainwater has no real negative impact on the solar panel system. SUNKEAN solar panels and solar connectors are durable and waterproof. When the rain starts to pour down, you don't have to worry about it falling apart. Despite the heavy rain and dark clouds brought by the hurricane, solar panels can still generate energy. As long as the sun shines directly or indirectly, the panel of the system can absorb the sun and generate electricity.

Ⅱ. Cloudy days and solar panels
1. Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
First of all, solar panels work whether it is cloudy or rainy, or snowy.
There are several reasons for this:
a. Cloudy and rainy days are just weak light, there is still the conversion of light invisible to the naked eye to realize.
The principle of photovoltaic power generation is firstly converted by photons (light waves) into electrons, light energy into electrical energy process; secondly, it is the formation of a voltage process.
Cloudy and rainy days are only a reduction in the intensity of sunlight, but there is still a lot of invisible light irradiation to the solar panels, able to realize the conversion of photons to electrons. According to Planck's law, the energy of an incident photon is inversely proportional to its wavelength. Short-wavelength radiation occupies the violet end of the spectrum and includes ultraviolet radiation and gamma rays. On the other hand, long-wavelength radiation occupies the red end of the spectrum and includes infrared radiation, microwaves, and radio waves. So solar PV panels can generate electricity on rainy days when there is light.

Ⅲ. How to clean solar panels?

1. It doesn't need to clean solar panels on a cloudy day frequently

Solar panels don't need to be cleaned too often. Especially after a cloudy day, the natural rainwater will wash away the dirt from the solar panel. Increase the area of the solar panel that is exposed to sunlight, thus absorbing more sunlight.

2. Use water and a non-abrasive sponge to clean the panels

Clean the panels with water and a non-abrasive sponge. This will remove most of the dirt and debris blocking the solar panels so they can perform at their best. Avoid using a high-pressure washer, which can damage the cell surface. If there is dirt and you need some extra help to get it out, add a drop of dishwashing liquid to the water.

If you have a very sloping roof, cleaning the panels yourself can be dangerous. Ask your installer to recommend a cleaner - they may know some good local companies (they may even clean the panels themselves).

3. Optimal cleaning frequency: two to three times a year

Contact us to know more about SUNKEAN panels and how our solar panels can withstand hurricanes. Please feel free to contact me. Email: wendy@ske-tech.com