Are solar farms destroyed during storms? Experts debunk the myth that panels can’t handle the wind

Storm Darragh dealt a heavy blow to the UK over the weekend, causing travel chaos across the country, widespread power cuts and at least two fatalities from falling trees and floodwaters. 

A rare red weather warning for wind was issued from the north-west Welsh island of Anglesey down to the Devon coast, prompting the largest use of an emergency alert system since its launch last year.

Amid the widespread damage, some news stories have honed in on Darragh’s impact on a solar farm in Anglesey, where a number of panels were blown off their mountings.

British newspaper The Daily Mail reported on Monday that the solar farm was “torn to pieces” with some panels “torn to shreds” by the UK’s fourth named storm of the season. A climate denial outlet took this framing a step further in a piece entitled ‘Storm Darragh Decimates The UK’s Largest Solar Panel Farm’.

For starters, the 50 megawatt (MW) capacity Porth Wen solar farm - run by the UK arm of French power firm EDF energy - is not Britain’s biggest. That accolade belongs to NextEnergy Capital’s Llanwern site, with a capacity of 75MW; enough power to provide clean energy to more than 20,000 homes per year. The largest consented solar farm so far, Cottam, is a mighty 600MW.

But is there any truth to the claims that wind farms are no match for high winds? 

Solar farms are quick to repair

Storm Darragh was exceptionally powerful, points out Chris Hewett, chief executive of trade association Solar Energy UK. 

“It is just the kind of extreme weather that scientists have been telling us to expect more of for decades - and renewables such as solar farms are a vital part in the fight against a warming world.”

“Although the damage to the Porth Wen site looks substantial, one of the great advantages of solar farms is that they are quick to install and hence repair,” he adds.

In a statement to media on Sunday, a spokesperson for EDF Renewables UK said that the company is currently assessing the extent of the damage and conducting a controlled clean up. Solar Energy UK says it has been told that the initial recovery efforts are already complete, and that energy generation will be resumed as soon as it is safe to do so.

Repair work and the replacement of damaged panels is expected to carry on into early 2025, the EDF spokesperson added. 

A decentralised system makes solar stronger

All power structure infrastructure is vulnerable to extreme weather events to varying degrees, but there are good reasons why solar farms actually fare relatively well.

“Being decentralised, renewables are more resistant to damaged electricity networks than the old model of centralised, fossil-fuelled power stations,” explains Hewett.

“Nonetheless, the industry will no doubt learn from this incident. Alongside Energy UK and Renewable UK and our members, we are working on further understanding how our energy system should adapt to the consequences of climate change,” he adds.

Over in the US, solar farm operators have even fiercer winds to contend with. In October, solar panels were among the many infrastructure casualties of Hurricane Milton, for example. 

But suppliers have been working on solutions for years. In 2020, the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory published a report offering guidance on wind-hardening solar power systems. 

It outlines 13 strategies to bolster a site’s ability to withstand higher wind speeds, with a particular focus on bolts.

“The value resilient power systems can deliver in the face of severe weather events and after their impacts is ever more important. Severe weather-prone regions could benefit from resilient solar PV,” the authors conclude. 

“To be effective as a resilient power solution, though, the system needs to survive the weather event. To survive, it must be designed, installed, and maintained to a higher standard. While doing so will likely come with an increased cost, in many cases the benefits may outweigh the cost.”