Sydney Storms and Solar Systems

Recent Sydney storms have brought hail, strong winds, outages and roof damage,  so now is the time to make sure your solar system is still safe and performing properly.

If you’ve looked up at your roof after the recent Sydney storms and wondered whether your solar system is still okay, you’re not alone.

Sydney and surrounding areas have copped a rough stretch of weather over the past couple of weeks. On 21 March 2026, severe thunderstorms brought 5 cm hail to Penrith and 91 km/h wind gusts at Western Sydney Airport. Then on 26 March 2026, another storm pushed across Sydney with hail, heavy rain, strong winds and thousands of lightning strikes, leaving thousands of homes and businesses without power. By 27 March 2026, NSW SES said it had responded to 591 incidents in 24 hours, with Sydney’s Northern Beaches among the hardest-hit areas.

For homeowners with solar, that kind of weather can trigger a very practical concern: is my solar system damaged, unsafe, or just temporarily offline? That is exactly the sort of high-intent question people search after storms, especially when there has been hail, roof movement, water ingress, tripped power, or visible debris around the home.

Yes, they can. While solar panels are built for Australian conditions, the federal Solar Consumer Guide says extreme weather events can still damage solar systems. That damage might involve the panels themselves, but it can also affect wiring, isolators, the inverter, or other electrical components.

And that is where many homeowners get caught out. Sometimes the panels look fine from the ground, but the real issue is elsewhere, a fault in the inverter, moisture in the system, damaged cabling, or a system that has stopped generating properly after the weather event. The government guidance specifically lists inverter faults, faulty wiring or isolator switches, battery faults, and damaged panels as possible reasons a system may not be operating as expected.

Start with a safe visual check from the ground and your monitoring app, not the roof.

According to NSW energy guidance, after a major storm you should inspect your solar or battery system carefully from a distance, not climb onto a rooftop, and not touch switches or attempt to reconnect the system, even if it appears dry, because moisture may still be present. The system should then be inspected and recommissioned by your installer or a licensed electrical contractor.

That means the smartest things to look for are:

• cracked or visibly broken panels
• debris on the roof or around the array
• roof leaks near the solar system
• warning lights or fault messages on the inverter
• no solar generation showing in the monitoring app
• unusual drops in output on sunny days after the storm

The Solar Consumer Guide says monitoring is one of the best ways to spot a problem, and if generation is lower than expected on sunny days, there may be something wrong.

If severe weather is forecast and you know your correct shutdown procedure, NSW’s storm factsheet says to follow the installer’s instructions, usually found at the inverter or main switchboard, and shut the system down before the event for safety and to help prevent damage from power surges.

But after a storm, the advice changes if there is visible damage or water exposure. NSW guidance says do not approach or try to turn off your solar or battery system if components have been damaged or submerged in water, and do not touch switches after the storm if there may be moisture in the system. Essential Energy also warns people not to inspect the system themselves and not to try to turn it off, because solar PV systems require a specific shutdown procedure and handling them the wrong way can create safety risks.

That is the key message: if the system may be damaged, do not guess.

Yes, it can be. NSW storm guidance says you should not assume the system is safe even if your energy provider has disconnected power to the property, because solar systems can still generate electricity during daylight hours. The federal Solar Consumer Guide also warns that even if your electricity mains are switched off, the solar system is still energised and can cause electric shock or electrocution.

That is why storm-damaged solar is not a DIY job.

After recent Sydney weather, it is worth booking a professional inspection if:

• your inverter is showing a fault code
• your system is producing much less power than usual
• you had hail, flying debris, roof leaks or fallen branches near the array
• your home lost power and the system has not come back online properly
• you can see cracked glass, loose panels or exposed wiring from the ground
• your battery or backup function is not behaving normally after the outage

The government guidance is clear that your first point of contact should be your solar retailer or installer, and repairs should only be attempted by an accredited installer or qualified electrician.

Most solar systems are built to handle normal Australian weather, but extreme storms are different. If your Sydney home has been hit by hail, strong wind, leaks or blackouts in the past couple of weeks, now is the time to make sure your system is still safe and working as it should.

Do not climb on the roof. Do not touch a potentially damaged or wet system.

MPV Solar can inspect your system, identify faults and help you get it back to safe, reliable performance.