WIND DAMAGE
A CONSTANT PROBLEM
Perhaps no other severe weather event is as common—and widely destructive—as high winds. Much like hail, the open landscapes that are well-suited for large-scale solar installations can also be a recipe for high winds and continuous risk.
The wind itself oftentimes isn't solely to blame. Failure can be due to improper installation or engineering, resulting in equipment detaching in high winds and potentially injuring people or causing collateral damage. Or due to modern components favoring lighter materials and smaller budgets over proven materials and long-lasting designs.
We not only offer services to help your damaged installations back to full capacity quickly and efficiently, we can also help evaluate your system before disaster strikes. Let our team of engineers provide an accurate, informed Wind Risk assessment to help you mitigate the risk that is quite literally surrounding your equipment every single day.
Standing up to a hurricane.
Or two.
A study released by the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute documented disparities in solar installations across the Caribbean as some weathered the dual storms of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017...and some didn't.
Some similarities of failed systems in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria:
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Top down or T clamp failure of modules
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Undersized rack or rack not designed for wind load
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Lack of lateral racking support (rack not properly designed for wind loading from the side)
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Undersized bolts
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Improperly torqued bolts
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Lack of vibration-resistant connections
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PV module design pressure too low for environment
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Use of self-tapping screws instead of through bolting
Some common ground-mount PV attributes of surviving systems in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria:
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Dual post piers
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Through bolting of solar modules (no top down or T clamps)
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Lateral racking supports
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Structural calculations on record
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Owner’s engineer of record with QA/QC program
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Vibration-resistant module bolted connections such as Nylocs