Solar Under Storm, Three Years On
Courtesy of RMI.
By Laurie Stone
As Hurricane Grace and Tropical Storm Henri cause destruction up and down the Atlantic, people living on islands and coastal territories must prepare for an above average hurricane season. In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that we could see up to ten hurricanes in the Atlantic in 2021, three to five of which could have winds of 111 miles per hour or greater. These hurricanes wreak havoc on people’s lives, both emotionally and physically. They destroy critical infrastructure, leaving many people without basic services such as electricity and water for prolonged periods of time.
Fortunately, many islands are installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems—often including batteries—to decrease dependence on volatile fuel imports and provide more reliable power to their residents. However, even PV systems aren’t invulnerable to hurricanes. Over the years, we have found that some PV systems suffer major damage during hurricanes, while others survive and continue producing power. We set out to find out why.
In 2018, we analyzed solar PV systems in the Caribbean after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We then wrote a report, titled Solar Under Storm, detailing how to build hurricane-resistant ground-mounted PV systems. We followed that with two reports in 2020: a similar report geared toward roof-mounted PV systems and one detailing best practices for policymakers. These reports describing how to build resilient PV systems are making a huge difference in keeping the lights on for people on islands around the world.
Resilience in The Bahamas
Hurricane Dorian devastated The Bahamas in 2019. Since then, the government and utilities have been working hard to deploy reliable and resilient power. And that includes employing the best practices learned from our Solar Under Storm analysis. RMI worked with Bahamas Power and Light to design, develop, and install a solar microgrid on Ragged Island. The 390 kilowatt (kW) microgrid is built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane (with winds of 180 mph) and provides 93 percent of the island’s energy needs. The project was highlighted on CBS’ 60 Minutes.
Another system in The Bahamas built using recommendations from the reports is the 1.1 megawatt (MW) solar-plus-battery microgrid on Highbourne Cay. The microgrid, also built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, will provide power to up to 100 residents and guests at the island’s resort. It will also save more than 1,650 tons of CO2 emissions annually and pay for itself through diesel savings in just five to six years.
The recommendations are even being used in the largest solar project in The Bahamas to date. The 4 MW solar-plus-battery microgrid on Chub Cay is expected to be complete by mid-September. Chub Cay is a privately owned island that had been powered with diesel generators. However, the Texan owner of the island, who ironically made his money from oil and gas, realized it made financial sense to switch to solar energy to supply 90 percent of the island’s energy. Applying resilience best practices from the reports only increased costs by 5 to 7 percent. This was also a cost-effective investment to ensure that the system survives hurricane-force winds.
“Fortunately, most of these systems have not had to endure a category 5 hurricane after installation. We wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” says Chris Burgess, project director for RMI’s Global South Program. “But we have a lot of data from the surviving systems of Irma and Maria that have already allowed us to conclude that these best practices do work and that these new resilient PV systems will survive severe storms.”
Beyond The Bahamas
Other islands across the Caribbean are also using the best practices described in the reports. For example, Montserrat recently completed a 750 kW microgrid. In the event that the grid goes down, the microgrid will help provide power to a hospital, airport, assisted living apartment complex, and a number of homes in the area.
A 100 kW solar microgrid on the Grenadine island of Mayreau, deployed in 2019 by St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited with help from RMI, serves 28 percent of the island’s electricity demand. It is greatly reducing the island’s energy costs and will ensure electricity is available to critical facilities during storms.
“The Mayreau project was initially specified to withstand Category 4 winds,” says Fidel Neverson, senior project manager for RMI’s Global South Program. “That was before we saw the utter destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria to ground-mount solar arrays that were built to Category 4 specifications.”
Using best practices from the first Solar Under Storm publication, RMI and the project team completely reengineered the Mayreau solar array to a Category 5 design. “We want to give the Mayreau microgrid the best possible chance of surviving the types of devastating hurricanes that have impacted the region recently so that the island’s residents can enjoy its benefits for years to come,” Neverson adds.
And in Puerto Rico, after Hurricanes Maria and Irma caused the largest blackout in US history, RMI helped the island install solar and battery microgrids on 10 public schools. “All of our procurements require installers to adhere to Solar Under Storm principles,” says Roy Torbert, a principal with RMI’s Global South Program. “The systems on these schools were built to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds. But we’ve also seen many of them continue to provide power after the grid went down due to the earthquakes that ravaged the island in early 2020.”
Helping Develop New Policies and Codes
The third report that RMI produced, Solar Under Storm for Policymakers, emphasized that it is not only installers that have to act on the recommendations. There are many things that governments, regulators, and developers can do to improve the survivability of solar PV systems in the face of severe storms. And many policymakers throughout the Caribbean are taking that to heart. The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States adopted the best practices from the Solar Under Storm reports into its building code. And the Caribbean Development Bank uses the recommendations as part of its underwriting process for the financing of solar projects.
Three years after we published our first Solar Under Storm report, we are happy to see all of the solar projects that have employed our recommendations. “We discovered that design, workmanship, quality materials, and quality checks were the difference between survival and failure,” said Burgess. “We realized we didn’t need a technical or manufacturing revolution, we just needed to have an eye for detail.”
Fortunately, islands throughout the Caribbean are using those details to prepare their solar systems for the ever-increasing hurricanes. In this way, we can ensure reliable, life-saving power for those who need it most.
Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
Lucid’s electric minivan can outsprint the Chevy Corvette Z06, and it has more interior space than a Ford Explorer. Is the Lucid Gravity really the “ultimate uncompromising SUV?”
Lucid Gravity SUV is faster than a Corvette Z06
Lucid’s electric SUV is impressive inside and out. The Gravity provides up to 450 miles of driving range, ultra-fast charging (200 miles in under 11 mins), and it even offers up to 120 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s more than the Ford Explorer (87.8 cu ft).
It’s also faster than most sports cars. The Grand Touring trim has up to 845 hp, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.4 seconds, but the Dream Edition takes it to another level.
Powered by dual electric motors, the Lucid Gravity Dream Edition boasts 1,070 hp. To see how Lucid’s minivan stacks up against the competition, Car and Driver nabbed one for testing.
On the test track, the Lucid’s minivan covered a quarter-mile in just 10.6 secs, beating a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to 150 mph by nearly three seconds.
According to Car and Driver, the Gravity didn’t just impress in the quarter-mile, “it was a beast in every acceleration metric.” Lucid’s SUV hit 30 mph in 1.4 seconds, 70 mph in 3.7 secs, and topped 100 mph in just 5.9 seconds.
Dave Vanderwerp, the testing director who took the Gravity for a spin, said the electric SUV “gets a sort of second wave of thrust starting around 60 mph.”
With a quarter-mile of just 10.6 secs, Lucid’s Gravity is the fastest SUV they have ever tested, beating out the Rivian Tri-Motor Max (11.1 secs), BMW iX M60 (11.5 secs), and Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV.
Although the Rivian’s 850 hp R1S Tri-Motor beat the Gravity to 60 mph, Lucid’s SUV sprinted ahead in the quarter-mile, traveling nearly 20 mph faster.
It was also faster than gas-powered super SUVs, including the Lamborghini Urus Performante (11.2 secs) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT (11.2 secs). However, they have yet to test a Tesla Model X Plaid, so that could change the game.
In what it called the “1,000 hp mom missiles” drag race, Hagerty recently pitted the Gravity Dream Edition against the Audi RS Q8 Performance, Range Rover Sport SV, Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, Rivian R1S Quad, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
The result was a three-way tie between Lucid’s Gravity, the Porsche Panamera Turbo, and Rivian R1S Quad hitting the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
The Lucid Gravity is available to order starting at $94,900 in the US. Later this year, Lucid is launching the lower-priced Touring trim, priced from $79,900.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Solar provided over 11% of total US electrical generation in May, while wind + solar produced over one-fifth, and the mix of all renewable energy sources generated nearly 30%, according to data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar continues to set new records
Solar continues to be the fastest-growing source of US electricity, according to EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through May 31, 2025), which the SUN DAY Campaign reviewed.
In May alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (>1-megawatt (MW)) increased by 33.3% year-over-year, while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 8.9%. Combined, they grew by 26.4% and provided over 11% of US electrical output during the month.
For the first time ever, the mix of utility-scale and small-scale solar produced more electricity than wind: solar – 38,965 gigawatt-hours (GWh); wind – 36,907-GWh.
Moreover, utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 39.8% while that from small-scale systems rose by 10.7% during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 31.1% and was nearly 8.4% of total US electrical generation for January to May – up from 6.6% a year earlier.
Solar-generated electricity easily surpassed the output of US hydropower plants (6.1%). Solar now produces more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Wind is also on the rise in 2025
Wind produced 12.2% of US electricity in the first five months of 2025. Its output was 3.9% greater than the year before, almost double that produced by hydropower.
During the first five months of 2025, electrical generation by wind + utility-scale and small-scale solar provided 20.5% of the US total, up from 18.7% during the first five months of 2024. Solar + wind accounted for nearly 21.5% of US electrical output in May alone.
During the first five months of this year, wind and solar provided 26.2% more electricity than coal, and 15.4% more than US nuclear power plants. In May alone, the disparity increased further when solar + wind outproduced coal and nuclear power by 55.7% and 22.1%, respectively.
All renewables produced almost 30% in May
The mix of all renewables – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal – produced 9.7% more electricity in January to May than they did a year ago (7.6% more in May alone) and provided 28.1% of total US electricity production compared to 26.5% 12 months earlier.
Electrical generation by all renewables in May alone provided 29.7% of total US electrical generation. Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second only to that of natural gas, whose electrical output actually dropped by 5.9% during the month.
“Solar and wind continue to grow, set new records, and outproduce both coal and nuclear power,” said Ken Bossong, the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director. “Consequently, the ongoing Republican assault against renewables is not only misguided and illogical but also a good example of shooting oneself in the foot.”
Read more: FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Environment
Podcast: Tesla’s disturbing earnings, self-driving challenge, solid state batteries, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s disturbing earnings, a new self-driving challenge, solid-state batteries, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike