Understanding Increased Risk
Solar’s rapid growth into new geographies brings increased exposure to extreme weather events. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie’s Solar Market Insight report, the U.S. installed more than 50 GW of capacity in 2024, a 21% increase from the previous year—an impressive leap forward that also highlights the growing need for robust weather mitigation strategies.
Hurricanes, like Milton, are growing larger as they are fueled by warming waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Previously, only a handful of sites might have been affected by a storm; now, entire regions of solar farms are at risk during a single event.
Read full article authored by Nextracker's Jyoti Jain and Alex Roadel in this month's edition of Power Magazine (May 1, 2025)