Weather and external hazards
191 lessons from 149 energy incidents, newest first, grouped by technology. Each is taken from the entry it links to, which has what happened and the sources.
Battery storage 5
Battery storage enclosures need to keep water out in severe weather if water ingress is not to create electrical faults.
Outdoor battery enclosures need robust weatherproofing where a site has prior water infiltration failures.
Sites exposed to storms need checks on surge protection and internal suppression units before events.
Storm events near new battery assets call for rapid response, as a large storm affected both sites around the time of the failures.
Newly commissioned battery units may need extra thermal checks during hot weather until root causes are known.
Solar PV 47
Assess hail risk and consider protective measures for solar installations in hail-prone regions.
Include weather-related damage in asset resilience planning.
Establish rapid loss assessment processes after extreme weather events.
Where the same storm downs nearby lines and trees, operators should confirm isolation and safe access with the network company before recovery work.
Owners should check whether their policy actually covers hail damage to photovoltaic equipment, and arrange dedicated cover where a general policy excludes it.
Certification for mechanical resistance does not remove the need to plan for hail more severe than past events at the site.
Because hail can destroy one array and spare another nearby, each site still needs its own inspection after a storm.
Hot weather can increase the resources needed to rotate crews during a structure fire.
Residential solar systems need thermal protection and monitoring that remain effective in hot weather.
Roof ventilation and electrical connections on new-build homes should be checked at commissioning and after extreme heat.
Flooding can leave responders unable to reach a solar site, so access during inundation needs to be planned in advance.
Storm-damaged solar panels can remain live and ignite, so operators must isolate arrays and inspect all wiring after tornadoes before restart.
First responders need protocols for live dc circuits on solar farms after storms, as standard tactics may fail on damaged arrays.
Solar parks in hurricane-prone regions need designs and maintenance that account for extreme wind.
After a major storm, operators should inspect the site, isolate damaged plant and say what is known about safety and generation.
Inspect arrays promptly after severe weather and keep the public clear until the damage is understood.
Grass fuel at a solar farm can support rapid fire spread during a heatwave, so operators should supplement grazing with slashing and fuel load inspections before hot periods.
Concurrent bushfires during a regional heatwave stretch rural fire service resources, so operators should agree access points, isolation plans and site familiarisation with responders in advance.
Review panel hail ratings against local extreme-weather data, and consider thicker glass or a stow position when hail is forecast.
Keep insurance arrangements for severe weather under review as projects are built.
Prepare clear public information on panel materials and disposal after weather damage, and follow hazardous-waste rules where they apply.
Solar farms should have a wildfire response plan for red flag conditions, including how crews reach and isolate the array.
Floating solar arrays need storm securing before and during commissioning.
A forecast storm should delay launch or trigger a securing plan.
Utility-scale solar plants need post-storm surveys of modules and trackers after high winds, because damage extent was not reported promptly.
Operators should issue a damage assessment soon after a hurricane, stating what is known and what is under review.
A solar farm commissioned in 2024 sustained visible damage from Storm Darragh, so operators should verify panel mounting strength against red warning winds before full output.
Repair work and panel replacement after storm damage will continue into early 2025, so insurers should plan for extended loss of generation on new solar sites.
Tracker motor or gearbox that fails to respond to a hail stow command leaves modules exposed to direct hail impact.
Maintenance of stow-critical actuators should be based on storm readiness risk, not only generation yield loss.
Large hail can put a community solar array out of service until panels are replaced.
Spare modules and contractor capacity should be planned before the local hail season so a damaged array can be recommissioned.
After severe hail, confirm the array is safe to return to supply before it is brought back online.
Inspect solar arrays promptly after hail so damaged equipment that can start grass fires is identified.
A lightning strike on rooftop solar can start a house fire even when the occupants get out.
Systems should be checked after major weather events for signs of damage or water ingress, and damaged equipment should not be touched.
Establish rapid post-storm assessment and repair arrangements to limit downtime.
Hot, dry weather raises the chance that a grass fire will spread across a solar farm before crews arrive.
After severe weather, roof-mounted solar arrays should be checked for loose panels before they can fall or strike people below.
Fire services may have to make renewable equipment safe during a storm when a contractor cannot attend quickly.
Check isolator enclosures for water ingress, ultraviolet degradation and loose terminations, even where a weather shroud is fitted.
Large rooftop arrays contain many handmade joints that can loosen with heat, weather and poor wire management, so connectors, leads and inverters need periodic inspection.
Solar panels at a new site suffered wind damage in a hurricane, so operators should verify mounting and cabling strength after any named storm.
Typhoon winds can tear modules from floating arrays and cause contact with moored panels. Operators should verify mooring systems resist extreme uplift and movement.
Grass fires during early bushfire seasons can threaten multiple sites, so owners should agree firefighting plans with local services before peak risk periods.
Lightning protection and earthing at solar farms must be tested to meet specifications before energisation, or a strike may damage the distribution panel.
Maintain rapid-response protocols for post-storm safety and insurance engagement even during final commissioning.
Wind (onshore) 56
Operators should finish a structured damage assessment before returning turbines to service after hurricane-force winds.
Site status should be reported separately from a wider storm emergency so the asset outage is not confused with the regional declaration.
A lightning damaged blade left in place for months produced noise in wind, so operators should remove such blades without delay to avoid nuisance and further failure.
A ground level visual check cannot detect blade damage if the rotor keeps turning, so stop the turbine for all blade inspections after lightning.
Lightning damage can weaken a blade enough to cause failure weeks later, so confirm no damage before return to service.
A suspected lightning strike on a Nordex turbine can throw parts, so operators must inspect from height after any storm.
Tower failure can occur at wind speeds well below design limits on aged turbines, so risk assessments must account for fatigue rather than overload alone.
Lightning protection on wind turbine blades and nacelles must be checked after storms, since a strike can start a nacelle fire.
Snowpack around a turbine site can reduce fire spread risk and support a monitored burn-out decision.
A lightning strike can start a fire in a wind turbine nacelle, so operators should check that lightning protection and grounding remain intact after storms.
Operators should be ready to review extreme-weather performance when a newly installed blade fails.
Operators should conduct immediate post-storm inspections of all turbines after severe weather events.
Structural failure can occur in storms with gusts around 30 miles per hour, so weather alone must not end the investigation.
A turbine was struck by lightning, so operators should test lightning protection systems, receptors and earthing continuity at exposed sites.
Fire at hub height during poor weather limits ground access, so remote detection and isolation plans must be in place before any storm.
Do not treat an open assessment as a known cause. Publish the structural or weather findings only when they are actually reported.
A lightning strike can leave a wind turbine smouldering after visible flames have gone, so a later inspection is still warranted.
A turbine left standing after fire or storm damage may still need a planned removal, with emergency services present.
In hot climates, check that turbine fire detection and shutdown remain effective in extreme heat.
Wind turbine blades that detach in extreme weather create imbalance and can bring down the whole tower, so operators must ground the unit at once.
After extreme weather, inspect every blade on the site before any restart, then use the data to decide which blades to replace.
Loading during a weather event exceeded design margins on a new turbine, so insurers should check that site-specific extreme wind studies inform selection rather than follow it.
After severe weather, prompt drone and ground checks can show whether a blade has failed and how far debris has spread.
Inspect turbines promptly after storms or lightning events even when protection systems appear to have operated.
After a named storm, check blades and the ground around towers for detached fragments.
Do not treat one filmed lightning strike as proof of ignition if the machine is already on fire.
Record a lightning assessment as provisional until the operator's investigation and the fire service agree a cause.
Lightning protection on wind turbines must be inspected after each strike, as photo captions attribute the fires to lightning strikes.
After severe weather, check turbines before treating them as safe to leave in service.
Do not treat a storm as the proven cause of a turbine fire until that is established.
Follow-up should seek the site name, weather, and whether the fire started before or after the structural failure.
A lightning strike on a wind turbine can start a nacelle or blade fire, so operators should check the state of down conductors and surge protection after every strike.
A lightning strike on a wind turbine can destroy the whole machine, so operators in high strike regions should fit and test enhanced blade and nacelle protection.
Wind turbine blades at onshore sites can fail after direct or nearby lightning, so operators should inspect all blades within range of storms before restart.
A blade that detaches can land in fields, so site rules must limit access and trigger checks after lightning or high winds.
Where witnesses link a wildfire to a turbine, operators should preserve the machine and site evidence until the official cause is known.
Wind turbine motors in hot conditions need regular checks for overheating, as this motor fire started a wildfire.
A nacelle fire on an onshore turbine in dry terrain can drop burning debris that starts a wildfire, so operators should map wind directions and fuel loads around each turbine with local fire services.
Ground crews cannot reach a nacelle fire at height, so emergency plans must direct effort to the wildfire perimeter while the nacelle burns out.
Wind projects in forest areas carry a wildfire ignition risk that must be assessed for construction and operation.
When a project is linked to a wildfire, publish investigation findings so other operators can address the ignition source.
Remote sites need workable emergency communications and rescue arrangements in severe weather.
Weather-related access and evacuation arrangements should be reviewed with all site users.
Lightning protection systems and down-conductor paths on wind turbines should be inspected on a defined schedule after storms.
An uncommissioned wind turbine tower can still collapse in high winds, so operators must keep remote monitoring and weather response plans active before grid connection.
Blade breaks on onshore turbines can occur from equipment faults alone, so operators should inspect blades on schedule even in calm weather.
Tower failures can occur without extreme weather, so operators should inspect tower and foundation integrity at regular intervals throughout the turbine life.
A wind turbine collapse in high winds requires operators to review structural design for sites exposed to severe winter weather.
Coastal lattice towers must be assessed for gusts above 50 mph in nor'easters, so operators should review design limits for winter storms.
After a storm, inspect lattice towers before anyone approaches a buckled structure to avoid secondary hazards.
Wind turbine collapses must record the date so that weather and load records can be matched to the event.
An unusual noise during a lightning protection test on a repaired hub should trigger immediate shutdown and inspection rather than continued operation.
Wind speed and lightning sensors on turbines must be tested to confirm they trigger shutdown in 110 km/h gusts.
Operators should inspect every turbine on site after a severe storm, not only the failed unit.
An elevated turbine fire cannot be reached from the ground, so site plans must cover perimeter control of any resulting wildfire.
Turbines left unmanned in storms still face nacelle fire risk, so owners need robust remote monitoring and shutdown systems.
Wind (offshore) 3
An offshore blade with prior damage needs closer monitoring before storms, as lightning can worsen existing faults.
A blade on a turbine left with rotor locked and yaw disabled can fail in high winds, so operators should check weather exposure limits before locking during commissioning.
A bulk carrier with engine room flooding requires rapid towing plans to limit time inside a wind farm, as aerial inspection alone cannot confirm full damage.
Grid infrastructure 76
Storm conditions at high-voltage substations should be treated as a plausible trigger until the cause is confirmed.
Operators should record weather, protection operation and damage before drawing conclusions about moisture or short circuits.
Do not treat storm timing as a confirmed cause until the operator or investigators say so.
Check distribution lines for moisture and damage before restoring supply after prolonged wet weather.
After a cyclone warning, distribution operators should be ready to replace poles and transformers across a whole zone, not only at one site.
Early damage counts from a short news report should be checked against the operator once the weather has passed.
Damage reports should separate electricity losses from wider weather losses so the scale of the grid event is clear.
Severe weather can damage several substations and transmission lines at once, so restoration plans should cover more than one site.
Plan breaker replacement with allowance for weather delaying the work.
A suspected lightning strike should stay marked as unconfirmed until the investigation is finished, and lightning protection should be checked after a storm-related transformer fire.
Treat extreme heat and high demand as a period of higher stress on distribution equipment, and watch for new outages as others are restored.
A transformer fire at a substation can cut water pumping in freezing weather, so operators should check backup power to pumps near substations.
Distribution transformers can fail after heavy rain if water enters the unit, so operators should inspect them following storms.
Heavy rain can also snap conductors and uproot poles, so crews must inspect overhead lines after storms before full restoration.
Current transformers can develop oil leaks from thermal stress during extreme heat and peak demand, so operators should increase thermal monitoring and load checks on such units.
Operators should review transformer cooling and load limits ahead of heatwaves, as extreme heat reduced capacity and caused the failure at Ergué-Gabéric.
Transformers on distribution networks can fail under high demand in heatwaves, so operators should inspect units ahead of forecast extreme heat.
Substation equipment exposed to lightning needs working surge protection and arrestors. Operators should inspect these before storm seasons.
A tree falling on a transformer substation can trigger a fire, so operators must inspect and clear tall vegetation that could strike equipment in storms.
Repeated weather-related transformer trips should be treated as a recurring fault, not a one-off repair.
Severe weather at the time of a transformer fire is not, by itself, a confirmed cause.
Extreme heat raises grid strain, so operators should monitor substations closely and reduce load before failures occur.
Overhead distribution transformers can explode after a direct lightning strike on a nearby line, so operators should verify surge protection settings on pole-mounted units.
Storm effects on substation equipment must be assessed promptly after events. Utilities should review weather data alongside failure analysis.
Staged rebuild after successive storms leaves mixed vintage assets, so operators should assess ageing and mixed components as a distinct risk.
A transformer failure can cut power to a major bridge during a storm.
Operators should plan for exposed grid equipment to fail while a hurricane is moving in, without assuming the weather was the cause.
Schools and other critical facilities should confirm backup power availability before adverse weather.
Substations in coastal or flood-prone locations need flood protection and a clear decision to de-energise if water reaches the site.
Pre-planned access, including ferry access to barrier islands, supports a prompt inspection after a storm.
Where severe weather and a reported substation fire occur on the same day, separate weather-related outages from those tied to the asset before stating impact figures.
Treat lightning on exposed grid equipment as a credible ignition and explosion risk during severe storms.
Keep storm contingency plans ready when alerts cover large areas, even if individual asset damage is not yet confirmed.
Grid operators should check substation redundancy and the ability to re-route supply quickly ahead of forecast weather.
Track substation loading when demand rises with temperature, as overload from hot weather caused faults.
Suggested lightning strike at a substation shows the need to review surge protection in storm prone areas.
Inland mountain areas treated as low hurricane risk suffered severe wind and flood damage, so operators should update planning baselines for current weather extremes.
Submerged substations needed de-watering, drying and inspection before re-energisation, so operators should install elevated equipment and improved drainage in flood zones.
Lightning can cause a transformer to explode even when strikes on transformers are described as uncommon.
Treat lightning during storms as a credible ignition path at temporary substations, and keep protection in service while the asset is in use.
After a storm-related substation fire, finish and share the damage assessment before treating the cause and the extent of loss as settled.
Storms can coincide with substation explosions, so operators should check protection and remote alarms when severe weather is forecast.
Pre-stocked spare parts and sharing of equipment between utilities can shorten restoration after storm damage.
Monitor weather conditions and slope stability near substations during heavy rainfall.
Lightning should remain in the investigation of an outdoor substation fire until it is confirmed or ruled out.
Repair times should be treated as uncertain when weather and the scale of damage are both still being assessed.
Where storms are a known risk, operators should keep a spare transformer and a clear plan for a replacement crew.
Where weather is only a possible factor, treat it as unconfirmed until the investigation is finished, and do not assume how water reached the equipment.
Repair plans should allow for weather that can delay roofing, cable and equipment work.
Substations in flood-prone areas need protection and, where practicable, elevated electrical equipment.
During widespread flooding, operators should be ready to confirm or deny viral reports so the public is not left without official information.
Restoration after a substation fire must allow for weather delays such as rain during cable work.
Weather-related faults in grid transformers can cut supply to hundreds of customers at once, so operators should check weather protection on all exposed units.
A substation fire during rain can still spread, so operators should check weather seals on all outdoor switchgear and cable terminations.
Reports of sparks or a blast on an overhead line in extreme fire weather should be logged against the reported fire-start time until investigators rule a link in or out.
Recording the weather or other cause of each overhead-line fire helps target future inspections.
Substations in low-lying urban areas need a flood risk assessment that covers the drains and culverts around the site, not only the site itself.
Control rooms and protection equipment should be raised above credible flood levels, or protected by barriers and pumps that are on site before heavy rain.
A planned procedure for testing equipment after flooding helps restore supply quickly and safely once the water recedes.
Substation equipment in exposed locations should be checked for its ability to withstand high winds, and storms that stretch crews across a wide area make spare capacity for substation faults important.
The newest 60 of 76 shown. The rest are on each grid infrastructure entry.
Data centre 3
Test contingency plans for utility loss in severe weather, including whether one site holds links used by a whole campus.
Give critical cloud connections more than one region, because a regional weather event can affect several facilities at once.
Auxiliary power and battery backup should be reviewed for multiple external events such as lightning.
Other 1
After a lightning-related fire at a power-station transformer, confirm what protection was in place and whether it operated, rather than assuming an arrester failure.
Behind these lessons. Of the 149 incidents these lessons come from, the paid record names the root cause for 122 and the part that failed for 102, with the companies involved and every source. See what a subscription opens or read a complete record.