SMA Assists Sandy Affected Customers

Solar inverter manufacturer SMA is going above and beyond to assist clients in the USA impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Solar inverter manufacturer SMA is going above and beyond to assist clients in the USA impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

SMA has reached out to customers with damaged PV systems who relied on solar panels for at least a portion of their power supply, providing commissioning of replacement Sunny Central inverters at no charge to help them return to generating solar electricity as soon as possible.

“At this time we want our customers to know they can count on us as a trusted partner” said Henry Dziuba, president and general manager of SMA America. “We know support is more crucial than ever in this time of great need, and we hope that our customers, their families and neighbors can get up and running again as soon as possible.”

SMA says it will continue to offer this support for as long as necessary. Other various solar-related initiatives coordinated by others to assist Sandy victims included the Solar Sandy project and Greenpeace’s Rolling Sunlight.

While many solar power system owners found themselves in the same situation as their non-solar neighbours; it appears generally speaking solar installations stood up well to Sandy’s fury.

Usually grid-tied solar power systems will stop producing electricity during a blackout situation for safety reasons – so that workers attempting to restore mains power aren’t electrocuted by PV systems still exporting energy. As soon as mains power is restored, the inverter resumes normal operations. However, using special equipment, a system can be configured to “island”; meaning electricity can still be supplied to the building, while isolating itself from the mains grid during a blackout event.

In the hardest-hit state of New Jersey, reports of damaged systems have been minimal. Industry certification standards in the USA require solar panels to be able to withstand a pressure equivalent to constant winds of 130 kilometers per hour for a solid hour.

But beyond the panels are the very important aspects of installation and mounting hardware.

While a module may be able to withstand massive stresses, poor installation or mounting systems can be the weakest links in the chain. Aside from property damage, a solar panel dislodged from a rooftop and being driving by 100 km/h+ winds is a lethal weapon.

Events such as Sandy serve as a reminder that the often overlooked factors of installation quality and mountings systems are elements solar shoppers should bear in mind when choosing a solar provider.

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