Hurricanes Fiona and Ian gave solar power its time to shine

Hurricanes Fiona and Ian gave solar power its time to shine

The green electricity source faces obstacles in Puerto Rico and Florida, where sun power largely held up during Hurricanes Fiona and Ian.

Hurricanes Fiona and Ian caused catastrophic flooding, knocked out power lines and washed away roads and bridges. But people who could afford solar panels and batteries say those systems kept the lights on during the storms, | Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

By GLORIA GONZALEZ, KELSEY TAMBORRINO and CATHERINE MOREHOUSE

10/17/2022 11:00 AM EDT

Solar power withstood the hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico and Florida last month — a fact that could aid the technology’s supporters in lobbying battles around the country.

Hurricanes Fiona and Ian caused catastrophic flooding, knocked out power lines and washed away roads and bridges. But people who could afford solar panels and batteries say those systems kept the lights on during the storms, and even allowed them to share electricity with neighbors left in the dark.

Now, that performance during natural disasters offers ammunition to the solar industry in its lobbying fights with lawmakers, regulators and traditional power companies as renewable energy seeks to accelerate its growing role in the U.S. electricity supply. Such fights have held up solar’s expansion in jurisdictions across the U.S., including in Puerto Rico and Florida.

“I wish we never had to have this proof point,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. But she said the hurricanes have shown that renewables paired with battery storage are a reliable form of energy.

It “is not just a theory, but it actually is providing power to people in otherwise darkened areas,” Hopper added.

The two storms knocked out power to 2.7 million customers in Florida as well as the entire island of Puerto Rico, which has more than 3 million residents. (Nearly 12,000 power customers in the state andabout9,000on the island remained without power as of Sunday night.) Still, much of the grid in both places bounced back faster than it had after some past hurricanes, in part because of efforts in Florida to harden power networks by burying power lines and replacing wooden poles with steel or concrete.

But solar power was especially critical for many residents. One reason: Rooftop panels, coupled with batteries, let people keep their lights and appliances humming during and after the storms, without having to worry about downed power lines or finding fuel for generators.

Hector Jimenez, a field manager with BrightPlanet Solar in Puerto Rico, said the system he had installed at his home “has been working like a charm” before and since Fiona hit the island on Sept. 18. His neighbors relied on diesel to run their generators and started to worry when fuel supplies grew tight. But Jimenez was able to help them out by sharing power from his batteries.

Tampa resident Donald Kirk, a client of residential solar provider Tampa Bay Solar, said he had originally invested in solar and storage last spring to be more sustainable. But after the system kept the power on in his home during Ian, he realized the real benefits of a self-reliant home.

“It was our essential thing when the power went down,” he said.

Some independent energy analysts said the storm could boost interest in solar power in states like Florida — and may play a role in legislative fights about economic incentives for the technology.

“We have long observed an uptick in demand for distributed solar and energy storage among customers that have recently experienced long grid outages,” Timothy Fox, vice president and research analyst atClearView Energy Partners, said via email. “We expect some Florida customers to look to bolster their supply with onsite systems following Hurricane Ian.”

Solar systems in Puerto Rico held up well under the pressure of Fiona, which primarily pummeled the island with rainfall instead of fierce winds.Power providers indicate that the same appears tr