Solar and hurricanes in Florida: what panels withstand and what to do

Permitted solar panels in Florida are designed for the same winds as the rest of your roof: the Florida Building Code requires calculations under ASCE 7-22, with design speeds of 175 mph in Miami-Dade and 170 mph in Broward. The evidence from Irma and Ian says well-installed systems survive nearly whenever the roof survives. Before the storm you do not remove them; you document them.

What wind speed are panels designed for in Florida?

Your county’s design wind speed, same as the roof. Florida operates under the 8th edition of the Florida Building Code (effective December 2023), which adopts ASCE 7-22 for wind loads. Design speeds vary by county; in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), Miami-Dade uses 175 mph and Broward 170 mph for Risk Category II structures, which includes homes.

Beyond speed, the code requires product approval: in the HVHZ, the racking and the panels need a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance or a state approval (FL#). An engineer signs the attachment calculations for your specific roof, and the county does not issue the permit without it.

The panels themselves are factory-tested to an uplift load of about 2,400 pascals (roughly 50 pounds per square foot) per SolarReviews, and several models exceed that. But the panel is almost never the weak link: the roof attachment and the roof itself are.

What really happened in Irma and Ian?

The systems held. After Hurricane Irma (2017), a field report from Southwest Florida found that PV systems survived almost universally when the roof survived, with isolated debris damage. After Ian (2022), FPL reported that of its 35 million panels across 38 plants in the storm’s path, only 0.3% were damaged.

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC, at the University of Central Florida) published a 2025 case study on how homes with solar and batteries rode out hurricanes with power. The conclusion repeated across every source is the same: a permitted system, with engineered attachment, on a sound roof, withstands what the roof withstands.

Heads up: “the panels withstand 175 mph” is true only if the roof withstands 175 mph. An old roof with rotted decking or loose tiles holds neither the panel nor the anchor. That is why the roof evaluation before installing is not a formality: it is the difference between a system that survives and one that becomes a projectile. Read your roof before solar.

Do the panels give me power during the outage?

No, unless you have a battery with backup capability. When the grid drops, the inverter shuts off by safety rule to protect line workers doing repairs. The panels can be intact and in full sun, and the system sits idle. Only with a battery and equipment that isolates the home from the grid do you have power during the outage; that is the case FSEC documents. We explain it in home solar batteries.

How does home insurance treat the panels?

As part of the dwelling, under most policies, if they are on the roof. Progressive explains that permanently installed rooftop panels usually fall under dwelling coverage (Coverage A), like the roof itself; ground-mounted systems usually fall under “other structures” (Coverage B), which typically has a limit around 10% of dwelling coverage and can come up short.

Three practical points:

1. Tell your insurer before installing. An undeclared installation is a frequent reason for denied claims.
2. Check the coverage limit. The system raises the cost to rebuild the home; if the limit was not adjusted, the claim falls short.
3. Read the hurricane deductible. In Florida, wind deductibles are usually a percentage of the insured value, not a flat figure; on a small system the deductible can exceed the damage.

If the system is third-party owned (lease, PPA, subscription), ask who insures it: normally the system owner, and your policy should not be covering it.

What to do before a hurricane

• Photos and video of the system from the ground, dated, for a claim if needed.
• Battery at 100%. If you have one, most brands have a storm mode that fully charges it when an alert is issued.
• Trim branches hanging over the roof: the typical damage is from debris, not direct wind.
• Keep handy the serial numbers, the contract, the warranties and your monitoring login.
• Do not remove or cover the panels. They are built to stay; taking them down is riskier than leaving them.

What to do afterward

• Check the monitoring when power returns: if the system produces normally, there is no electrical damage.
• Visual inspection from the ground or by drone; do not climb the roof.
• If there is damage, touch nothing: panels keep generating DC voltage as long as there is light.
• File with the insurer using before-and-after photos, and with the manufacturer if a panel broke from a defect.

When it does NOT make sense

• Installing on a roof with few years left or prior damage: the system inherits the roof’s weakness.
• Accepting an unpermitted install or one without engineer calculations “to save money”: without a permit there is no attachment verification, and the insurer can deny the claim.
• Buying a battery purely out of hurricane fear without running the numbers: it is a backup expense, not a savings expense, and should be decided as such.

What to check before you decide

• Ask for the permit number and the engineer-signed wind calculations for your address.
• Confirm panels and racking carry an NOA or FL# if you are in Miami-Dade or Broward.
• Have the roof evaluated before signing; if it has few years left, roof first.
• Call your insurer before installing: declare the system, adjust the limit and note the hurricane deductible.
• Ask whether the system includes a battery with storm mode, or panels only.