Hurricane Florence vs. Solar: Plants Fare Well in Storm-Battered North Carolina
/PV MAGAZINE: Solar Slowly Comes Back Online in North Carolina
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2018/09/20/solar-slowly-comes-back-online-in-north-carolina/
“Failures of the electric grid have affected large solar plants after Hurricane Florence, just as they are affecting centralized generation.”
INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS: Solar Energy Largely Unscathed by Hurricane Florence’s Wind and Rain
“In North Carolina, the #2 solar state, Florence was the first extreme weather test for much of its renewable energy.”
CBS NEWS: Hurricane Florence crippled electricity and coal -- solar and wind were back the next day https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-florence-crippled-electricity-and-coal-solar-and-wind-were-back-the-next-day/
“Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Florence swamped North and South Carolina, thousands of residents who get power from coal-fired utilities remain without electricity.
Yet solar installations, which provide less than 5 percent of North Carolina's energy, were up and running the day after the storm”
QUARTZ: Resiliency in the face of hurricanes makes the case for renewables even stronger
https://qz.com/1396099/solar-power-passed-the-hurricane-florence-resiliency-test/
“People of the Carolinas are picking up the pieces after Hurricane Florence, the wettest tropical cyclone on record. Among the news of dozens of deaths, overflowing pig-manure lagoons, and flooded coal-ash fields, there are some bright spots. Solar-power installations were largely able to escape without harm.”
North Carolina is home of the second largest capacity of solar in the US other then California. Find out how solar asset managers restored electricity after one of the most damaging hurricanes to ever hit the East Coast in the articles above, both giving different perspectives on the outcomes.
Solar has fared well compared to the coal ash disasters and nuclear shutdowns resulting from hurricane Florence. However, reports show flooded solar fields still down, but coming back online. Tracker projects can be particularly vulnerable to flooding if mechanical and electrical components are submerged, but are reporting good outcomes. Good job NC project engineers!
